Broken
by eastcoastbelle
Summary: When an unexpected visitor from the future arrives, Leo and the horrified Charmed Ones decide to cast a spell to learn the truth about the future that Chris has been hiding from them. (Chris revelation story, AU)
1. You Have A Visitor

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Charmed. No infringement is intended and no profit is made from this story. This is a work of my own imagination, but I was inspired to write this after reading so many amazing Chris revelation stories over the years. So a huge thank you to Emma15 for writing _When Family Calls_ , DisneyRBD for writing _In His Soul_ , and NextGeneration for writing _Dead Promises_!

 **Author's Note:** This is set after Prince Charmed. In this story, Bianca and Chris were never engaged and they never had a romantic relationship – they were just good friends. Also, Phoebe ends up with Cole instead of Coop in this story (Paige still ends up with Henry though). Caleb is the half-manticore baby from the episode "Little Monsters" and Emily is the "sweet little psychic" that stole Wyatt's play-doh in the episode "Witch Wars." The rest are original characters!

* * *

 **Chapter One:**

 **You Have A Visitor**

" _Family is not an important thing, it's everything."_

– _Michael J. Fox_

* * *

So _this_ was 2004.

Huh. Interesting.

It seemed an awful lot like 2003 if you asked him.

Then again, the Manor's attic never changed much over the decades. No additions, no major renovations beyond the installation of a beautiful stone fireplace with a mirror above that conceals a TV and lit candles on the mantle.

Being here…in the Manor's attic…the place he would once again call home someday…the place that in his time had been shattered and put together as a museum…probably wasn't one of his better ideas.

If one of the girls happened to wander in, he would be lucky if he wasn't killed right there on the spot. When it came to him the policy always seemed to be hex first, ask questions later.

It would be in everybody's best interests, his especially though, if he kept that in mind and tried to behave. _Try_ being the operative word.

God damn it.

God damn it to hell and back.

This was going to be infinitely harder than he originally imagined.

The reality of it all began to make him nauseous, but he had no choice. Duty called, family loyalty was on the line, and he had a nephew to track down. The sooner the better.

If only it wasn't 2004…

He could really use the help of the sisters. This whole tracking-a-nephew-down thing would be a hell of a lot easier if he actually had them on his side. Working with him. Like old times. Like they would start to do again in the not-so-distant future.

But this _was_ 2004 and the sisters still hated him with a fiery passion, so that was definitely a no-go.

With a heavy sigh, Cole Turner shimmered out of the attic all the while thinking: _one neurotic, sarcastic, self-destructive, intent-on-giving-me-gray-hairs nephew coming right up_.

* * *

Leo and Piper stood on one side of the living room while Phoebe and Paige stood on the opposite side, facing them. They were at an impasse and it was becoming increasingly clear that there would be no easy resolution to the present issue at hand. All morning long, Phoebe and Paige had been trying desperately to get through to Leo and Piper before they made a huge mistake. Unfortunately, nothing they said seemed to be sinking in. Apparently, Chris had inspired so much distrust that the separated duo was able to set their differences aside and team up again.

"Would you two just hear us out?" Phoebe yelled at her big sister and her ex-brother-in-law, but still good friend. "Chris is here on a mission to save Wyatt, _your_ son. I think a mission of that seriousness is enough to warrant his…uhm…well his _unusual_ means and methods."

"He accused Wyatt of being evil!" Piper cried out.

"He sent me to Valhalla!" Leo complained at the same time.

The outbursts from the two parents caused Phoebe to let out a frustrated sigh, a million different emotions with a million different names welling up inside her. She was at her breaking point. She was not a confrontational person by nature, and there was only so much she could take of this. As far as she was concerned, Chris was a resource they could not let go to waste. He was here to help them. He was here to save Wyatt. Why couldn't Piper and Leo see that? How could they allow their stubbornness blind them to the potential consequences of their proposed actions?

Sensing Phoebe was about to explode, Paige decided that it was her sisterly duty to step in and add her two cents in.

"Chris has never done anything to harm Wyatt or this family," Paige pointed out. "Sure, he hasn't exactly been forthcoming about the future, but that's hardly definitive proof that he's evil."

"I can't believe we're arguing over _Chris_ ," Leo spat his name as if it were poison on his tongue, "when we could be uncovering his many secrets! I thought you would be on my–our–side!"

Paige rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm on your side, Leo. How could you even think otherwise? I just think it would be best that we know the truth before we start throwing accusations. You know, innocent until proven guilty and all that jazz."

" _This_ will help us get to the truth!" Piper said, waving the scrap of paper that she had used to scrawl the spell down on wildly in the air.

Piper didn't want to believe that Wyatt had turned out evil. Couldn't believe it. She had nothing personal against Chris, but there was simply no way that her baby boy would become wayward from the path of fighting evil and saving innocents…from the ways of their family. No. Just, no. It wasn't going to happen. Not on her watch. And since that wasn't a possibility she was willing to entertain, that could only mean one thing: Chris was lying.

Little did she know just how true that would end up being. Wyatt hadn't turned evil on her watch. Sure, the seeds of corruption had already been planted there. But technically he hadn't turned evil. Not while she was still breathing. No, that came when Wyatt was sixteen…a year after his mother's death.

"Something _other_ than invading Chris' memories."

Piper visibly deflated at that.

Leo, on the other hand, remained unwavering in his vendetta against Chris. Before the manipulative _half_ -whitelighter had come along, Leo had been a much happier man. Leo had been proud of his many labels–husband, father, brother-in-law, whitelighter to the Charmed Ones. Nowadays, he could barely recognize the man in the mirror staring back at him.

Chris was _evil_. He _had_ to be.

Leo was certain that this spell would prove that. All he had to do was sway one more sister to his side. Then, instead of being split down the middle, it would be three against one. Majority ruled.

"I vaguely understand what you are saying. It's not the most ethical thing to do," Leo admitted.

"That's for sure," Phoebe said.

"But if it keeps Wyatt safe it's worth it. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Isn't that what Chris has been going on about since day one?" Leo asked, using Chris' own words against him.

"We _all_ want Wyatt safe, Chris included," Paige said carefully, "but what you guys are suggesting is risky. We have no idea what this spell will show us and there are some things about the future that shouldn't be known in advance. Things that we need to let run its natural course."

"We need to know if Chris is a threat. He claims to be here to save the future, but he refuses to tell us anything. He's a lying liar who lies, lies, and then lies some more. We have no proof that he's even _good_. For all we know, he could be here to change the future in worse ways." Piper snapped, glaring at her two younger sisters. "Besides, the Elders gave Leo their blessing."

"Um Piper," Paige said slowly, "I hate to break it to you, but that's not exactly encouraging seeing as how we _never_ agree with the Elders."

"Not the point."

Leo nodded in agreement, "despite past differences, the Elders _are_ good. They, too, want to know what Chris is up to. We need to know his true intentions. This is the only way."

Phoebe opened her mouth to protest, but suddenly a demon shimmered in.

Everybody turned to look as the demon materialized before them.

As the initial shock wore off and recognition set in, everything went to hell in a handbasket.

* * *

So this was what it felt like to lose everything.

Chris sat on top of the Golden Gate Bridge doing what he did best. Brooding.

Even in his time, as screwed up as it was, he didn't feel this…

Alone.

Depressed.

Tired.

Hopeless.

Yes, in his time, evil had essentially won.

He had lost _so_ much. Mom, Wyatt, Phoebe, Henry, Lacey, Cara, Emily, and Cat.

Cat. _My Cat_. Chris swallowed and took a deep breath at the thought of his _dead_ fiancée. It hurt _to_ think about her and it hurt _not_ to think about her. She was his soul mate in every sense of the word. When she cried, he tasted the salt. She was with him through all his highs and lows. When he fell apart, she was his rock. And when she died, a huge piece of him died with her.

But he still had Mellie. He still had Lauren and Lyla. He still had Junior and Sophia. He still had Cole and Paige. He still had Jake.

Despite the hell his life had become, he still had family and friends. He still had a place to call home. Maybe not _the_ home he had grown up in, but a home nonetheless.

Here, in 2004, he had nothing.

He could deal with Leo's arrogant, condescending crap. After all, he had dealt with it once before. The hate, anger, and mistrust from Mom – no, _Piper_ – was unbearable though.

He didn't know what he had expected when he came to the past, but it certainly wasn't _this_.

The sisters were so…uncaring…cold...hostile…scary, even.

And it unnerved him. The Charmed Ones unnerved him.

He'd thought such a thing to be nigh impossible.

Then again, he'd once thought a lot of things…

Before he could dwell on that thought anymore, he heard a terrible ringing in his ears. _"CHRISTOPHER PERRY,"_ his mom – no, _Piper_ , he needed to keep them separate in his head – roared in a way that only his mother could. No one dared to defy that tone. _"ORB YOUR ASS TO THE MANOR IMMEDIATELY OR I WON'T HESITATE TO BLOW YOUR ASS BACK TO THE FUTURE!"_

Chris froze at those words and the turmoil they managed to create within him. With that one sentence, Piper sounded so much like the mother he knew and loved.

Snapshots of his life pushed their way, one after the other, to the forefront of his mind…

 **Click…**

 _Suppressed laughter as his mom rushed to his side and pulled him into a warm embrace, but glared disapprovingly at Wyatt who was standing at the end of his hospital bed._

" _Wyatt Matthew Halliwell, what the hell were you thinking? I can't believe you dared your baby brother to jump off of a freaking roof and into the pool! He could have died!"_

 **Click…**

 _Pre-teen annoyance as the all too familiar ringing in his ear interrupted his conversation with his friends._

" _Christopher Perry Halliwell, you have exactly two minutes to orb your ass home!"_

 **Click…**

 _Inner panic and wondrous joy at the same time – Ally, Cat to him, lying beneath him on his bed, her long platinum blonde hair fanned out over his pillow, staring up at him with those crystal blue eyes. Her cheeks were flushed pink. Both of their lips were red and bruised from kissing._

" _Christopher? Ethan just called looking for Ally, have you seen or heard from her today? Why is your door closed?"_

Chris sighed, his memories haunting him, as he dissolved into millions of blue and white particles to go see what Piper wanted.

* * *

So…

The tracking-a-nephew-down thing…

Not really working out.

Especially since said nephew was currently using a particularly powerful cloaking potion, courtesy of none other than his daughter. He was going to have to have a talk with Lauren when he got back.

 _If_ he got back.

With his options and time limited, it looked like he was going to have to turn to the sisters for help.

In 2004 of all years.

Oh yeah, this was going to be fun.

* * *

"Yeah?" Chris asked, the expression on his face carefully blank, as soon as he materialized.

"You have a visitor." Piper said sarcastically as she waved a hand towards Cole.

"Uncle Cole…" the words were out before he could stop them and he internally cursed himself for the slip.

"Did he just call you _Uncle_ Cole?" Phoebe hissed, staring at her ex-husband…who was supposed to be dead!

"So the lying liar who lies is part witch, part whitelighter, _and_ part demon? You've got to be kidding me!" Piper cried.

"Chris is my nephew through marriage." Cole answered, too busy evaluating the state of his nephew to care that he had just dropped a bombshell.

Phoebe's eyes widened comically, "Marriage?"

Cole nodded, a hint of amusement in his gaze.

"Piper, Paige," Phoebe called out, "the spell."

Paige's mouth dropped open while she stared incredulously at her big sister.

"I'm sorry Chris," Phoebe said slowly as she looked sheepishly at the confused man, "but if you're related to _him_ …we have to do this for Wyatt's sake."

Leo smiled triumphantly, "Wyatt's our family and family comes first."

Piper nodded, "three against one, Paige, which means that we're decided."

Paige shook her hear back and forth, but she still went over to her sisters.

The three women crowded together over the paper in Piper's hand, reading out loud in perfect sync.

" _Hear these words, hear our cry_

 _Heed the hope within our mind –"_

"What are you doing?" Chris asked, having finally recovered from his shock.

" _Show us what we wish to see_

 _Reveal to us the life Chris Perry had to flee."_

All of a sudden, a bright light surrounded everyone as they felt like the world was spinning around them. Then, they found themselves in what appeared to be a school office.

"What just happened?" Chris asked.

"We're in the future." Cole sighed. "This is Magic School."

Having never heard of Magic School, the sisters looked at him like he was crazy. "Huh?"

Chris gasped then whirled around to look at the sisters and Leo. "What the hell did you do?"

"We used a spell to see your memories." Piper answered him calmly.

"With the approval of the Elders." Leo added, as if that meant anything to Chris.

"This is going to end badly," Cole muttered to himself.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hope you guys enjoyed the opening chapter for this story. I've always loved Chris revelation stories and I thought that I would _finally_ write one of my own. **Please review!**


	2. So Begins The Trip Down Memory Lane

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Charmed. No infringement is intended and no profit is made from this story. This is a work of my own imagination, but I was inspired to write this after reading so many amazing Chris revelation stories over the years. So a huge thank you to Emma15 for writing _When Family Calls_ , DisneyRBD for writing _In His Soul_ , and NextGeneration for writing _Dead Promises_!

 **Author's Note** : THANK YOU so much to everyone who left reviews for chapter one, I really appreciate all the encouragement!

* * *

 **Chapter Two:**

 **So Begins The Trip Down Memory Lane  
**

" _Your memory is a monster;_ _ **you**_ _forget–_ _ **it**_ _doesn't. It simply files things away. It keeps things for you, or hides things from you–and summons them to your recall with a will of its own. You think you have a memory; but it has you!"_

– _John Irving, A Prayer for Owen Meany, 1989_

* * *

"Ugh! I can already tell that I'm going to hate traveling from memory to memory." Paige moaned as she lifted her hand to her temple and rubbed it.

"Headache?" Cole asked knowingly, a smirk on his mouth and one eyebrow cocked.

Paige scowled at her _ex_ -brother-in-law, but didn't deny the accuracy of his assessment. She hated herself for the weakness almost as much as she hated Cole for witnessing it. For being _alive_.

"That's what you get," Chris snapped angrily, "You can't just cast a spell to see someone's memories! My memories are personal and private. I shouldn't have to share them with anyone if I don't want to and trust me when I say this…I DON'T WANT TO!"

Paige had _known_ that this was a bad idea and she had certainly voiced that opinion earlier, but even she was slightly shocked by Chris' anger.

Phoebe had the grace to look ashamed of herself. This was, in part, her doing.

She'd been over Cole, or so she'd told herself everyday since vanquishing him, but seeing him again just brought all the emotions out of hiding.

The shock of it had been too much for her and it had caused her to say those four words: _Piper, Paige…the spell_.

"The problem is that we _don't_ trust you," Leo answered him.

"Especially not where Wyatt is concerned." Piper added.

Chris knew it shouldn't hurt so badly anymore, but it did. It felt like somebody had hit him in the chest with a sixteen-pound sledgehammer and then left it over his heart to crush him. And they had no idea.

The same couldn't be said about Cole though.

Cole had watched this child – and that's what he was, a _child_ , more importantly he was _Piper's_ child – grow up right before his eyes. Chris had been a baby when he'd come back into the Charmed Ones' lives. He'd seen Chris hero-worship his big brother, practice being a big brother with his and Phoebe's first-born, spend hours in the kitchen with his mother, and cling onto the hope that one day Leo would give him the time of day even though deep down inside he knew it wouldn't happen.

He was already broken in so many ways, but _this_ …

This must be killing him.

"You haven't told them." Cole said, the smooth tone of his voice belying the storm that was raging within him.

" _What_ hasn't he told us?" Leo questioned immediately.

Ignoring him, Chris thought carefully about how he could respond. After all, Uncle Cole had an uncanny ability to see through any lies or half-truths.

"No, I haven't." The admission was spoken softly. "And I don't plan to tell them either."

"Great, more lies!" Piper chirped.

The child's mask of indifference faltered for a split second, but it quickly locked back in.

"Oh Chris…" he whispered, feeling horrible for his nephew. "I never would have agreed to this if I'd known you weren't going to tell them. This is slowly killing you. Your mother wouldn't have wanted this for you. Ally…"

"Don't," Chris begged. "Don't talk about her. Don't–Jesus."

"I won't have you sacrifice yourself for him."

A bitter chuckle escaped his nephew. "I wish it was that easy."

"Not funny Chris," Cole hissed. "I'm pissed off at you as it is."

Chris frowned, clearly not having expected that. "Why?"

"BECAUSE YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD THEM!" Cole yelled at him.

"Told us what?" Leo enquired again.

Seeing Chris tense up, he smiled smugly. He had been right. Chris _was_ evil. His relation to Cole was just icing on the cake as far as Leo Wyatt was concerned.

"You don't really need me to answer that anymore." Chris said as he waved a hand towards the memory that they had been transported to.

"Um, yeah, about that," Paige said as she glanced around, "where exactly are we?"

"Magic School." Cole informed her.

"What's Magic School?" Phoebe asked curiously.

Phoebe's voice brought a small smile to his face.

She still hated him, of course, but he could deal with it.

Her being alive and hating him was far better than her being dead and loving him.

He knew that all too well.

"It's a school that exists in the magic world." Cole explained. "It teaches young witches how to control their powers."

"It also teaches witches about the magical world and the human world." Leo added.

" _You_ know about Magic School?" Piper asked, glaring accusingly at Leo.

Wincing, Leo shrugged helplessly.

Chris would have laughed at Piper getting mad at Leo had he not been so preoccupied. He had no idea what memory they were about to see, but he prayed to every deity that existed that it wouldn't reveal his true identity.

The door to the room that they were in suddenly opened, startling the six onlookers.

"I'm sorry to have to call you in like this." The head master said as he ushered a woman and four little boys into the office. The woman's face looked a little strained. A few more lines here and there. A little older looking. But it was unmistakably Piper.

"The secretary didn't say over the phone why I was needed in the office. Is everything okay?" Future Piper asked as she took a seat in one of the chairs opposite of the head master's large oak desk. There were four chairs squished together to the right of her seat instead of the usual two – just enough chairs so that all four boys could have a seat.

"We wouldn't have called you unless it was absolutely necessary, Ms. Halliwell," the head master said, "we had a bit of a problem today."

Future Piper immediately turned to look at the boy sitting in the chair directly beside her and so did the six onlookers. He looked to be about seven or eight with golden blond hair and hazel eyes.

Piper felt her throat go dry. She knew it was Wyatt. She was a mother. She would recognize her child anywhere and there was no doubt about it in her mind. _This_ was her baby boy.

"Oh my God," Piper mumbled.

"It's Wyatt," Leo said at almost the same time.

Hearing those words, Chris turned slightly to look at Piper and Leo. "You guys actually recognize him?"

"Of course we recognize our son!" Piper snapped. What kind of parents did Chris think they were?

"Shut up, Piper." Cole growled.

Cole _really_ wished she hadn't said that. He watched those words fly, he watched them hit, and he watched Chris flinch back.

It took less time than a heartbeat, but in that brief moment something broke.

It was his nephew's heart.

Chris could only nod and swallow thickly. At least they recognized _one_ of their sons.

"Wyatt kissed Emily in class today–" the head master started to say.

"Whoa! Wyatt did what?" Piper questioned immediately. She was so _un_ prepared for this. Wyatt looked _way_ too young to be kissing girls.

"Wyatt Matthew Halliwell!" Future Piper reprimanded.

"Shortly there afterwards Chris kissed Ally, Caleb kissed Gia, and Jake kissed Cruz. The reason they'd done it is because _Wyatt_ claimed that his parents told him that you kiss someone that way when you want them to be family and you want to show them how you feel. And he'd passed that information onto Chris, Caleb, and Jake." The head master explained.

" _Oh shit!"_ Chris exclaimed, covering his mouth with one hand for a second before he dropped it to continue speaking. "I remember this! Wyatt had caught Mo–Piper and Leo making out and that's how they tried to explain it to him."

"We're about to see Piper ground Wyatt, aren't we?" Paige asked.

" _Why_ do you sound excited about that?" Piper asked as she turned her glared at her youngest sister.

Meanwhile, Future Piper's cheeks flushed pink and she averted her eyes. "Wyatt, he um, caught his father and I…we'll have a talk with him. I assure you it won't happen again."

"You be sure to do that Ms. Halliwell," the head master said, "Cruz's parents were in here for an hour ranting about how Jake 'defiled their baby' and 'tainted his innocence.' It was _not_ a pleasant conversation as I'm sure you can image."

"I'm _so_ sorry." Future Piper apologized. "Boys?"

"Sorry for kissing Emily." Wyatt said, his gaze downcast.

"Sorry for kissing Gia. And I'm sorry you got called in Ms. H." The boy, Caleb, said.

"Sorry for kissing Cruz and making his parents mad." Jake said, confused as to what he did that was apparently so bad.

At this point, all but one of the boys had apologized. The only one left was…

A boy, who looked to be a little younger than the other three, with light brown hair and bright green eyes.

"That's Chris," Paige said, stating the obvious.

"I'm not sorry. I want Ally to be family." Memory Chris said stubbornly.

Cole chuckled upon hearing his nephew's response. If he remembered correctly, Piper had grounded Chris longer than Wyatt for refusing to apologize right away.

"Aww!" Phoebe cooed as she ignored the eye roll Chris was sending her way.

"Oh my God, Chris!" Future Piper exclaimed. She was beyond shocked by her youngest son. He was usually so good and so well behaved. The exact opposite of the way he was acting right now!

"I kissed Ally," Memory Chris said, "so what?"

" _Christopher_ …" Future Piper began, a warning note – the kind that could only mean trouble – to her voice.

Finally, "I'm sorry." The words were spoken reluctantly.

Suddenly there was a flash of bright light and the people from the past – or in Chris' and Cole's case, the people from the future – felt themselves being hurled to the next memory.

The sisters groaned as they pulled themselves together, but Leo simply stared at Chris. His anger was bubbling to the surface. "That memory…that couldn't have happened unless…but…that means…Piper and I are still together?" He couldn't stop the look of disbelief from appearing on his face.

"Explain, mister." Piper demanded of the half-whitelighter.

Chris hesitated. "You two were never supposed to break up. Originally, Leo became an Elder… _later_."

"You messed with my family, _again_!" Piper growled, her eyes glittering with anger.

"How dare you!" Leo seethed.

"I don't know what's going on," interrupted Cole, "but you two need to calm down. Whatever else you might think, Chris would never _purposefully_ mess with someone's family. Trust me when I say he has more of an interest in your family's wellbeing than most."

"We'll see about that." Leo muttered, convinced now more than ever that Chris was evil and needed to be stopped.

He had no idea just how wrong he was.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So, that's Chapter Two! I thought that this would be a fun memory to start off with. What do you guys think so far? What do you think Charmed Ones and Leo will be seeing in the next memory? **Please review!**


	3. The Dads Suck Club

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Charmed. No infringement is intended and no profit is made from this story. This is a work of my own imagination, but I was inspired to write this after reading so many amazing Chris revelation stories over the years. So a huge thank you to Emma15 for writing _When Family Calls_ , DisneyRBD for writing _In His Soul_ , and NextGeneration for writing _Dead Promises_!

 **Author's Note** : Once again, a huge thank you to **everyone** who has taken the time to leave a review – either as a member or a guest. I love hearing what you guys think of my story so far!

* * *

 **Chapter Three:**

 **The Dads Suck Club**

" _It doesn't matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was."_

– _Anne Sexton_

* * *

Phoebe glanced around the new memory, but couldn't make anything out. The room – assuming, of course, that it was a room they were in and not a cave or underground somewhere – was pitch black and silent. She could barely even see Piper, Paige, Leo, Chris, and Cole at all. Not that she wanted to see Cole. She didn't. No, that was absolutely _not_ what Phoebe wanted.

"Where are you? Past you?" Phoebe asked Chris. Only…that didn't quite make sense. These memories were set in _their_ future. "I mean future you." But on the other had this _was_ Chris' past. "Mini-you! Where's mini-you in this memory?"

Cole ducked his head to hide the smile he couldn't suppress. His ex-wife was cute as hell when she was flustered. Though thinking of her as his _ex_ -wife, even in the awfulness that was 2004, felt like a betrayal. He hadn't thought, let alone referred to her as such in ages. She was his wife. Soon-to-be-wife- _again_.

Shaking himself out of his internal musings, Cole forced himself back to reality. He couldn't let himself think about her. She was off limits to him, for now at least.

Besides, he had a nephew that needed him now more than ever.

Not that Chris would ever admit it.

That boy was a Halliwell through and through.

How had _they_ missed something so important? How could they be so blind? How could they be so self absorbed? What else had they missed? How much else had they not noticed?

He wanted to yell at the sisters.

He wanted to punch Leo.

But mostly, he wanted to shake some sense into Chris. The worry he had felt for his nephew before traveling to the past paled in comparison to what he felt now. _I wish it was that easy_ , Chris had said in reference to sacrificing himself for the sake of his big brother. That statement bothered, infuriated, and surprised him more than anything. He couldn't stop replaying those wretched six words in his mind like a broken record. It loitered there, lingering, haunting.

Realizing that there was nothing he could do–not right now at least–about his nephew's apparent suicidal tendencies, Cole did his best to temper his rage as opposed to _letting_ his temper rage on. Although he was still a demon, some things had changed. He was a father now. A family man…

"Good question, Phoebs," Piper said, "where the hell are we?"

The sisters and Leo looked to Chris expectantly.

There was some bitter irony in that, and Chris felt it keenly, deeply, in every fiber of his being. In the last couple of months, _he_ had needed _them_. He had needed their help. Their trust. Their love. What he got instead was rejection after rejection after rejection. He _alone_ went to the underworld day after day, night after sleepless night searching for leads. He literally worked himself to near death. Now, all of a sudden, the shoe was on the other foot, so to speak. _They_ needed _him_ to guide them through these memories. To help fill in the gaps. To put everything into context.

And of course he would do it.

Because no matter how hard he tried to keep them separate in his head or how many times he told himself otherwise, they were still _family_ and that still meant a damn to him. It _always_ would.

"I don't know," Chris admitted on a sigh, "it's hard to tell."

At that moment, as if on cue, there was a swirl of bluish-white lights and a soft chiming that signaled that someone had orbed in.

The brief light allowed the six onlookers a few seconds glance at the orber. They could just make out a young girl with white-blonde hair and a small frame.

Chris' eyes widened as realization dawned on him. He would recognize her anywhere, at any time, in whatever form.

 _Cat_.

His heart beat violently and he wished futilely, not for the first time–nor the hundred and first time–that he could transfer his heart beat to her heart, giving life to her veins.

As quickly as the light had come, it faded and disappeared completely. The darkness returned, but there was a sound now–someone was crying.

The onlookers weren't the only ones to hear the noise. They made out a hazy outline of somebody sitting up on what appeared to be a bed. The figure got up and walked a few feet forward to…

Suddenly, light illuminated the previously dark room.

…apparently to switch on the light.

The hazy outline turned out to be a young, but older than he had been in the previous memory–maybe nine years old or ten years old– Chris and they could now see that they were in a cabin for some unknown reason.

There was a bunk bed to the right of the room that looked old and very used. On the bottom bunk, where Chris had been, there were T-Rex bed covers. The sheets were a tumbled mess, as if he had tossed and turned for hours, and the pillow still bore the dent of his head.

Wyatt was lying sound asleep on the top bunk. Chris smirked at that. Wyatt had always been a deep sleeper and a reluctant riser, much to their mother's chagrin. He could sleep through a tornado. He could sleep through a freight train running through the room. He could sleep through just about anything. Chris, on the other hand, was a light sleeper and woke easily with the slightest of sounds.

"Why is Wyatt here with _you_?" Piper asked Chris, confused and curious in equal measure.

"More importantly, where exactly is 'here'?" Paige questioned.

"TLC…Timber Lake Camp," Chris amended when he saw the confusion on their faces. Only Uncle Cole knew what he was talking about. "It's a sleepaway camp in the Catskill Mountains of New York. My mom wanted me to have some normalcy in my life since she couldn't enroll me in a regular public school."

"That still doesn't explain _why_ Wyatt is here with _you_." Piper pointed out, though she could totally understand where Chris' mom was coming from. She wanted Wyatt to have as normal a life as possible for a child of the Charmed Ones.

The lie was on the tip of Chris' tongue, but something kept him from offering it.

"Wyatt and Chris were friends. You wanted some semblance of normalcy for Wyatt as well, so that's how this memory came to be...voilà!" Cole supplied for Chris.

"You were friends with Wyatt?" Leo asked disbelievingly. Chris and Cole both rolled their eyes at that.

"Why didn't you just tell us?" Piper asked in a much more believing tone. She felt rather foolish. She should have known that they were friends. The previous memory had shown them that not only had they gone to school together, but that they were friendly enough to get into trouble together. Although she still wasn't exactly gung-ho about the idea of sending her baby off to Magic School…

 _There are a lot of things I haven't told you guys_ , Chris wanted to say, but instead he merely shrugged his shoulders and made an "I-don't-know" face.

"Chris," The young girl who had orbed into the room said in a trembling voice, drawing the attention of the people from the past back to the memory that was playing out before them.

Memory Chris immediately went over and drew her into his arms. "What happened, Cat?"

Chris smiled, fondly and sadly, at the nickname that he had given her the first time they met. Everybody else called her Alley Cat. But not him. To him, and only him, she was Cat. To her, and only her, he was Kit.

"My dad," she sniffled back into his chest.

"Is she related to the boy that we saw in the last memory?" Phoebe asked, noticing the resemblance between the two.

"Ally is – _was_ – Jake's little sister." Chris said.

The siblings shared the same white-blonde hair and the same slightly tanned skin tone. Almost everything was the same about them except their eyes. Her eyes were a beautiful crystal blue.

"Wait, I thought her name was Cat?" Paige asked.

"Her name was Ally. Cat was just Chris' special nickname for her." Cole said in a teasing tone, causing Chris to actually blush a bit. Phoebe and Paige chuckled over his slight embarrassment.

Memory Chris nodded at her two-worded explanation, knowing that her dad must have let her down again…as he _always_ managed to do lately.

"What did he do this time?" Memory Chris asked, sounding so gentle. The sisters and Leo were completely shocked as it sounded unlike anything they had heard from the neurotic half-whitelighter.

"He left to drop Jake off at Caleb's house for a sleepover and he was supposed to come straight back home. He was supposed to take me out on a daddy-daughter date to the movies. But he didn't. He went out drinking. I called every hospital and emergency room in the city thinking he'd been in an accident. He promised me that he didn't have a problem and I…I…I _believed_ him." Believing in her dad and then having that belief shattered into a million pieces was a devastating blow. It cut to her core.

Everyone's hearts broke as they heard Ally explain what had happened.

"I'm sorry." Memory Chris said as he rubbed a comforting hand up and down her back. His sympathy was heartfelt, but the words felt inadequate–what could possibly ease the pain of having your father let you down time and time again? Chris knew from personal experience that nothing quite soothed that pain.

"I'm sorry I woke you up like this, Kit, but I didn't know where else to go." The girl said with another sob.

"You're _way_ more important to me than sleep," Memory Chris replied honestly, "which you obviously haven't had any of either. Come on, Ryan, let's get you to bed."

Chris panicked when he heard his past self refer to Cat by her last name. He sincerely hoped that she hadn't quipped back, like she so often did, calling him Halliwell. That would've for sure blown his cover.

"Won't Wyatt freak out when he wakes up? What about your camp counselors?" Ally asked as Chris led her to his bed. Even though she dreaded the thought of going home, she didn't want to get Chris into trouble.

"Wy would do the same thing if it was Emily and the camp counselors make their morning rounds around nine, which gives you plenty of time to orb out unnoticed." Memory Chris assured her.

"If you're sure it's okay…"

"I'm sure."

That was all she needed to hear. He was her best friend in the whole world. He knew everything there was to know about her, and she him. She trusted him implicitly.

Ally climbed into the bed first, sinking into the mattress as if it were a cloud. Memory Chris got in after her. "Are you okay on that side, or do you want to switch places?"

"No, this is good."

Memory Chris casted a simple spell to turn off the lights and the room was again dark.

The two kids were silent at first and the onlookers almost thought they had fallen asleep. Almost.

"Could you hold me until I fall asleep?" Ally asked, her voice scarcely above a whisper. She sounded almost shy, tentative. The tone was so unlike her that both Chrises frowned.

"Of course." He pulled her back into his arms so that her back was against his chest and her head under his chin.

Even though Ally couldn't exactly explain why, she felt safe in his arms and for a moment all the pain she was feeling faded away.

"We should make a Dads Suck Club," Ally suggested sarcastically, "a two-person club just for us."

"I can think of a third person who'd want to join that club…my sister," Memory Chris said, "dad ignores her even more than he ignores _me_ , which is really saying a lot."

"At least you guys still have your mom. I would give anything to have just one more day with my mom, just one day…" Ally said in a sad, faraway voice.

And that was the last thing the six onlookers heard before they were sent to another memory.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** There goes Chapter 3! This chapter took a little longer than the other ones because I had wanted to have two memories in it, but this one turned out to be longer than I expected. Hope you guys enjoyed! **Please review!**


	4. Oh How the Years Go By

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Charmed. No infringement is intended and no profit is made from this story. This is a work of my own imagination, but I was inspired to write this after reading so many amazing Chris revelation stories over the years. So a huge thank you to Emma15 for writing _When Family Calls_ , DisneyRBD for writing _In His Soul_ , and NextGeneration for writing _Dead Promises_!

 **Author's Note:** This chapter is a little longer than the other ones as there are three memories included in it. While there's a little bit of everything in this chapter, it mostly focuses on the different family dynamics.

* * *

 **Chapter Four:**

 **Oh How the Years Go By**

" _Oh how the years go by_

 _Oh how the love brings tears to my eyes_

 _All through the changes, the soul never dies_

 _We fight, we laugh, we cry_

 _As the years go by."_

– _Vanessa Williams, "Oh How the Years Go By"_

* * *

"Again, again!" A child–it sounded like a girl–demanded earnestly, clapping her hands together.

That was the first thing the six time travelers heard as they appeared in a new memory.

It only took Cole a momentary glimpse to recognize where they were, and even less time to recognize that angelic voice.

They were in the family room of what he and Phoebe, _his_ Phoebe, had once upon a time considered to be their forever home.

And the child was his youngest daughter, his baby girl.

 _Lyla._

In the middle of the room there was a couch and on it lay four kids–a slightly older Chris and three young girls, each with hair of varying shades of brown.

The oldest looking girl was sitting to the far left of the couch. Her hair was long, sleek, and the color of rich espresso. Her warm brown eyes were framed by long lashes and perfectly arched eyebrows. She had pretty lips, full and pink. A stubborn chin. And peachy gold skin.

In the middle of the couch sat a girl who looked slightly younger than the first. She had long, straight, reddish-brown hair that was tied up in a high ponytail. A loose strand of hair outlined her face, accenting her youthful innocence.

On the right side of the couch sat Chris. Sitting on his lap was a little girl, barely older than a toddler, with shoulder-length wavy caramel brown hair. She had an aura about her that bristled with energy and enthusiasm.

They were each beautiful in their own right.

"Again?" The oldest looking girl shrieked at the little girl sitting in Chris' lap. "Are you freaking kidding me? You want to watch _Frozen_ again?"

Chris laughed at his cousin's reaction, but he couldn't say he blamed her. Lyla had been absolutely obsessed with the Disney blockbuster and she had forced almost every single member of their family to watch the movie many, many times.

Phoebe, on the other hand, frowned disapprovingly. The girl shouldn't be allowed to use the word "freaking." She looked too young for that kind of language. She also felt a sudden, strong urge to lecture her for getting so mad at the little girl. She had no idea why she felt that way though. It wasn't like she was the girl's mother or anything.

"Lauren," the girl sitting in the middle said gently, obviously trying to calm the older girl down before she burst a blood vessel, "let's just watch the movie one more time for Lyla's sake."

Cole's eyes were glued on the girl sitting in the middle. Lacey, his sweet Lacey, the middle child, always the peacemaker in the family. He had no idea what memories this spell would show them, but if this was going to be the last time he saw her alive again then he was determined to commit every detail to memory.

Phoebe stole a sideway glance at Cole. She could feel emotions coming off him in waves, emotions that were at odds with his face: love, sadness, protectiveness, and perhaps guilt. For whatever reason, this particular memory was painful for him. Watching him in this unguarded moment had a profound effect on her. She felt the need to comfort him, but quickly reminded herself that he was her _ex_ -husband…the man who had been at one point or another a demon, a member of the Brotherhood of the Thorn, and the Source of All Evil.

"My answer is still no Lacey. If I never watch _Frozen_ again, it would still be too soon." Lauren said. It was clear to everybody by her tone that she was dead serious.

"What's _Frozen_?" Paige asked, her curious nature shining through.

"It's basically this generation's _The Lion King_." Cole explained.

"Ah." Paige simply said, still not understanding why the girl was so against watching it again. It couldn't be _that_ bad. It was Disney, for Mickey's sake!

Lacey sighed, sensing she'd make no further headway. "Lyla, is there another movie you want to watch?"

Lyla shook her head. The youngest of three girls _and_ the youngest of the Halliwell line, she was strong-willed and somewhat accustomed to getting her way.

"Chris, you're the oldest," Lacey pointed out, "a little help here please?"

Cole smiled sadly, his eyes glassing over. Phoebe had been the light of his life, his guiding compass. Lacey had been so much like her mother. Losing them both had caused him insurmountable grief.

"Yeah, Chris!" Lauren piped up excitedly.

Growing up, Chris was closest to her out of all his cousins. And that was still true to this day. Maybe even _more_ so since Wyatt had gone off the deep end. Everyone had always said that they were like two peas in a pod. She was one of his best friends. His confidant. No matter what happened, he knew he could always count on her, which is why he had ultimately decided to leave her in charge of the Resistance.

Lyla turned in Memory Chris' lap so that she was facing him and gave him her best puppy dog eyes. " _Frozen_ again. Pleeeaaassee Chrissie!"

"Aw, that's so cute," Phoebe cooed.

Piper, Paige, and even Leo nodded in agreement.

"Oh, she's good." Lauren admitted.

There was no way he could say no to those puppy dog eyes.

At that point Memory Chris was going to cave. Lauren knew he was about to cave. Lyla knew he was about to cave. _Everyone_ knew he was about to cave.

Before he could do so, however, somebody entered the room.

"Daddy!" Lyla squealed with delight, already having forgotten all about the movie. That was typical Lyla. She had the attention span of a butterfly sometimes, as was the case here, while other times she could obsess about something until you were praying for sweet relief in any shape or form.

The sisters and Leo were shocked to see that the man Lyla had called "daddy" was Cole.

Memory Cole looked more relaxed, more…at peace. There was a smile sitting easily on his face. There was a serenity about him that the sisters and Leo had never seen before. It was hard to reconcile this man with the terrifying demon he'd once been.

"Hi, sweetheart." Memory Cole greeted as he leaned down and picked her up. He hugged her tightly, her small face pressed against his cheek.

"When is mommy coming home?"

Phoebe tried to swallow this unexpected turn of events, but she found that she couldn't. Her dry throat would not allow her to swallow, as it was trying to keep her heart from pulsing out of her mouth. She felt sick to her stomach. The thought of him building a life with someone else elicited dark feelings of anger, pain, and–ultimately–jealousy.

Memory Cole set her down gently and kissed her forehead. "Mommy is working late tonight. Remember what we talked about at breakfast, sweetheart?"

Lyla smiled and nodded her little head. Her wavy caramel brown hair bouncing and her hazel eyes sparkling.

"Good," Memory Cole said, "girls could you take your sister upstairs to play for a bit? I need to talk to Chris. In private."

Cole had not one, but _three_ beautiful daughters?

That also meant that these girls were Chris' cousins.

Lauren and Lacey nodded quickly, relieved that they wouldn't have to watch the movie-that-shall-not-be-named _again_.

Memory Cole waited until he was sure that his daughters were upstairs before he sat down in the upholstered chair across from the couch, facing his nephew.

"Uncle Cole, whatever it is, just tell me." Memory Chris said, knowing that something was up.

That was typical Chris, always straight to the point.

"The sleepover has come to an end, kiddo. " Memory Cole said.

"You guys are kicking me out." Memory Chris surmised dully. He deflated back into the couch as if someone had let all the air out of him.

Piper found herself frowning. This younger version of Chris sounded so…crestfallen. It almost seemed like, well, like he didn't want to go home. But that couldn't be it, could it?

"Of course we're not kicking you out. Your Aunt and I love you very much. You're always welcome here." Memory Cole spoke soothingly.

"Then why do I have to go home?" Memory Chris questioned, not understanding.

"Because your mom said so, for one thing, and for another, you never even got permission to come over here for a sleepover in the first place." Memory Cole said, giving the boy a pointed look.

Memory Chris squirmed under his uncle's intense, but amused scrutiny.

"My mom…she, uh, she called you, huh?" Memory Chris asked even though he already knew the answer to that. Of course his mom would call looking for him. How could he have even thought otherwise?

"She did." Memory Cole confirmed. Okay, well, technically Piper had called _Phoebe_ , but it was basically the same thing. "What's gotten into you, Chris? It's not like you to hurt your mother's feelings or to leave home without permission."

Memory Chris stared at his uncle with an expression of pure shock. "I hurt mom's feelings?"

As Chris watched the scene unfold, he felt a pang of guilt at the pain his younger self had so clearly caused. He loved his mother and the last thing he had ever wanted to do was hurt her. Compounding his guilt was the fact that he couldn't apologize to her even if he wanted to. She was _dead_ and it was all _his_ fault.

"You told her you wished you were a Turner."

For some strange reason, Piper felt a soul-crushing sadness in her heart upon hearing those ten words. She quickly dismissed that feeling because she couldn't imagine why she would have that reaction to _Chris_. Maybe it was just because she could empathize with what Chris' mother must be feeling. She would be devastated if Wyatt told her that he wished he were apart of a different family.

Memory Chris looked sheepish. "I only said that because you're more of a dad to me than my own father is. I wouldn't trade mom for anything in the world."

"You always struck me as someone who had more mommy issues than daddy issues," Paige commented to Chris, "but this actually explains a lot."

"Paige! You can't just say something like that!" Phoebe scolded her sister.

"Well, it's true." Paige pointed out.

"Oh, will the two of you just shut up!" Piper snapped, not wanting to miss anything important. Everyone stared at her in shock.

"Chris," Memory Cole said, drawing their attention back to the current memory. "Your father loves you."

"Yeah, right," Memory Chris scoffed.

Memory Cole hesitated a moment before continuing, as if he were trying to be careful in choosing his words. "He does love you, even though he has a funny way of showing it, and you guys are more alike than you think. That's why you clash so much."

Memory Chris mulled over those words for a few heartbeats and then said sadly, "I doubt it."

He sat there looking as if he desperately needed some comforting.

Memory Cole rose from the chair and crouched down slightly. "Come here, kiddo."

Memory Chris moved quickly into his outstretched arms. Memory Cole hugged him for a long time, probably too tightly, but he couldn't find the strength to let him go. He loved his nephew and hated to see the boy distressed. He hated Leo for this, for being an absentee father to his two children that weren't Wyatt.

As much as the sisters hated Cole, they were thankful for his presence in Chris' life. They all knew what it was like to have a father that wasn't there for them growing up. Even though Paige had her adoptive father, the man she considered to be her _real_ father, and Victor had become more involved in his daughters' lives, the hurt was still there. It was less, but still there.

"How old were you in this memory?" Phoebe asked Chris.

"Huh?"

"I was just wondering," Phoebe explained, "since it hasn't been mentioned in any of your memories so far."

"I must have been ten, maybe eleven."

"You were ten." Cole said in a definitive tone.

The memory of that heartbreaking conversation had been seared into his mind's eyes. Even if they hadn't just seen that particular memory, he would have remembered it as if it had happened yesterday–detail for detail, word for word.

"So I'm guessing we still have a long ways to go." Phoebe commented.

Chris shrugged, acting like it didn't matter one way or another. "Probably." He admitted, not in the least happy about that. It was still too early to discern any definitive trend, but so far the spell seemed to be choosing memories from a mixed bag of his twenty-two years of life. God only knew what they were going to see next.

While Chris was silently worrying, Leo was frowning at the memory they had just seen. What kind of a home was Chris brought up in? A decent father would never make his son feel unloved and a decent mother would never allow such a thing to happen in the first place.

"Why did you doubt that your father loved you?" Leo asked, hoping to gain more insight from Chris.

Cole snorted. If Leo really thought that Chris was going to answer _that_ , then the man was even more clueless than he'd originally thought.

Chris never got to answer, not that he would have, because they were all transported into another memory.

* * *

Once they appeared in the new memory, the onlookers looked around. They were in what was obviously a hospital room. Intensive care. Video game systems, game controllers, cards, and trays of home-cooked meals surrounded the room. It was clear that the items were meant to distract from all of the tubes, wires, and machines making constant beeping noises. Memory Chris was propped up in the hospital bed and a pre-teen Wyatt was sitting at the foot of the bed despite the fact that there was an empty lime-green vinyl armchair right next to the bed.

Piper felt her heart lurch as she saw how thin and pale Memory Chris looked under the light hospital blankets.

"This," Memory Chris said, "is not how I pictured starting my summer vacation."

"I said I was sorry, remember? Said it a thousand times." Wyatt reminded him. He studied the injured boy carefully and then worriedly asked, "You don't have amnesia, do you? Should I call the nurse?"

Memory Chris rolled his eyes. If he had amnesia, then how would he have remembered being on summer vacation? Wyatt took the overprotective big brother routine a little _too_ seriously sometimes. "Relax. I don't have amnesia, Wy."

"Oh. Well…I'm still sorry. It _does_ suck that you're starting summer vacation like this. I should have never dared you to jump off the roof and into that pool." Wyatt apologized for the thousandth and one time.

"What the hell was he thinking?" Piper asked incredulously, unknowingly echoing what her future self had said upon arriving at her youngest son's bedside.

"And you, mister," Piper rounded on Chris, "what were _you_ thinking?"

Chris threw his hands up defensively, much to the amusement of his Aunts and Uncle Cole. "I did some fairly stupid things when I was eleven. This was clearly one of them."

It was true enough.

She didn't need to know that he had idolized his older brother would have done anything he said, anything for him. He would still do anything for him. It was why he had come to the past. It was why he was putting himself through this unique torture…being around _mom_ …not being able to tell his family the truth…having his family hate him…allowing his family to think the worst of him. It was all for Wyatt.

Luckily, Piper seemed satisfied with the explanation and returned her attention to the memory.

"I didn't _have_ to listen to you," Memory Chris pointed out, "and it was fun."

"Right," Wyatt said in a voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm sure it's been real fun fracturing your elbow, having surgery to repair it, getting a pneumonia from the anesthesia they gave you for the surgery, and having to stay in the hospital for an entire week."

"Wy…" Memory Chris started.

"You scared me to death, Chris." Wyatt admitted, his eyes suddenly welling up with tears.

Future Wyatt seemed to really care for Chris.

That was still a bit of a shock and difficult for Piper to wrap her mind around. This boy that her son seemed to care for and love like a brother – he was the same Chris Perry that have traveled to the past. The same Chris Perry that Leo hated. The same Chris Perry that she had emotionally abused. The same Chris Perry that she had nearly physically abused.

There were more memories to see and the rest of the memories _could_ still prove Chris to be an evil liar. Piper, however, was beginning to have serious doubts about that.

"I didn't mean to. Honest." Memory Chris said. "Besides, I know you would never let anything really bad happen to me."

Wyatt cheered up and nodded. "Damn straight," he said, blissfully unaware that there was a past version of his mother watching this play out and frowning at his language. "That's what best friends are for…I have your back and you have mine."

"So," Memory Chris began innocently enough, "are you finally ready to admit that I'm your number one best friend? I mean you practically cried over me!"

"Way to ruin a sweet moment!" Phoebe exclaimed.

In turn, Chris rolled his eyes at his aunt.

"Only this one time and then we never speak of this again." Wyatt agreed reluctantly.

"I always knew you liked me more than Caleb, Jake, and Emily." Memory Chris joked.

Then, just as suddenly as they arrived, the onlookers were being hurled off their feet and they felt the same feeling of being transported to another memory.

* * *

Paige groaned when they appeared in the new memory. This time, much to her dismay, they were on the very top of the Golden Gate Bridge. This was not good for her head, which was pounding mercilessly. Or her stomach for that matter.

Memory Chris was sitting on the highest platform of the bridge, staring out at the San Francisco city skyline. Since they had last seen him, he had grown from an eleven-year-old boy into a thirteen-year-old teenager. He was lanky, but already broad-shouldered, with light brown hair and those intense green eyes.

"Why the _hell_ are you up here?" Piper questioned. She could feel herself panic with every tiny movement and she tried her best not to look down.

"It's a good place to think," Chris answered truthfully. The bridge being a good place to think was actually the _one_ thing that he and his father agreed on.

How sad was that?

"It must be nice not to have to worry about, oh, I don't know, falling to _death_ like us mere witches." Piper commented.

It was really no wonder all three of her children were fluent in sarcasm. They had learned from the master.

Before any other complaints could be made, blue and white orbs appeared on the bridge. Chris took a deep breath, steeling himself for the emotional onslaught that he knew was coming. Wyatt was scared of heights, so it wasn't him. And it _definitely_ wasn't Leo since he'd only been up here once with his father. That left one person…

…Cat.

The ones from the past were easily able to recognize her even though she, too, looked older than when they'd seen her last.

She looked pretty in a red flannel shirt, high-waisted jean shorts, and cute combat boots. She wore her long white-blonde hair down, cascading over her shoulders, and was wearing a hint of makeup. Tasteful diamond stud earrings sparkled in her earlobes.

"Thank God for orbing." Ally said as she sat down next to Memory Chris, not having a problem with how high up they were.

Obviously the girl was just as _insane_ as their whitelighter.

"What are you doing here, Cat?" Memory Chris asked as he turned to look at his friend. It was more than that though; she was his best friend. The Cat to his Kit. The only person on the face of this Earth who could truly get through to him in _every_ way.

"Saving you from yourself." Ally joked.

"Gee, thanks," Memory Chris said dryly.

"You've been avoiding me," Ally said seriously this time. She made herself look him in the eye, no matter how scared she was of his reply. And there was no denying her fear–her hands were clammy, a cold sweat broke out on her body, nausea rolled over her in waves, and it felt as though an entire swarm of butterflies had taken up residence in her stomach. "I think I know why, but I want to hear it from you first."

"I haven't," Memory Chris protested weakly. "I've been busy with schoolwork."

"I know when you're sad but pretending to be annoyed and I know when you're worried but pretending to be fine. I can feel it inside when you're upset the same way you can feel it inside when I'm hurting or confused of rebellious. Trust me, I know what you're feeling."

Phoebe felt her empathy powers kicking into high gear. Both of their hearts were beating fast. Ally was excited, nervous, and scared all rolled into one. Even without her empathy powers Phoebe could tell that she was sincere. Her words came from her heart. And as Memory Chris hung on to her every word, his hope grew stronger and brighter. The two teens were on the threshold of a life-changing moment and they both knew it.

"I don't want to ruin our friendship," Memory Chris began slowly. "This…it…can change things between people, whether they intend it to or not."

"I don't either, but…"

"Maybe…"

"Any relationship worth having…"

"Is worth taking a risk," The two teens said together.

They just stared at each other, wide-eyed and barely able to breathe. It was like everything around them had been put on pause.

"Cat." Memory Chris whispered in a barely audible voice, then he crashed his lips to hers. Her arms came up and wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer. He kept one hand buried in her hair, holding on to her as if he would never let her go, the other on her lower back.

When they came up for air, they were both smiling from ear to ear.

"So worth it." Memory Chris breathed.

"Good answer," Ally said before claiming his lips again.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** There goes Chapter 4! I know these memories might seem random, but they _are_ important because they shaped Chris into who he is. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Prepare yourselves for the next chapter because that's when we'll start getting into the more depressing memories. **Please review!**


	5. World Spins Madly On

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Charmed. No infringement is intended and no profit is made from this story. This is a work of my own imagination, but I was inspired to write this after reading so many amazing Chris revelation stories over the years. So a huge thank you to Emma15 for writing _When Family Calls_ , DisneyRBD for writing _In His Soul_ , and NextGeneration for writing _Dead Promises_!

 **Author's Note:** Yay, _another_ update! I really enjoyed writing this chapter and exploring the different emotions the characters (especially Chris) go through as they get to the more depressing memories. This chapter isn't actually too bad, but it does focus heavily on the death of one character (it doesn't actually show the character's death). Can you guys guess which character died? Let me know in the reviews if you managed to guess correctly!

* * *

 **Chapter Five:**

 **World Spins Madly On**

" _Woke up and wished that I was dead_

 _With an aching in my head_

 _I lay motionless in bed_

 _I thought of you and where you'd gone_

 _and let the world spin madly on."_

– _The Weepies, "World Spins Madly On"_

* * *

Piper frowned as she took in their new surroundings. They were in the foyer of a house. Through the glass panes of the front door, she could see that outside it was dark. It had to be between ten at night and five in the morning. Everything seemed normal enough, but there was something about this particular memory that was already causing her some distress. It certainly didn't help that there was a strange, almost ominous feeling creeping down her spine.

Little did she know that she was about to witness the immediate aftermath of her death. Wyatt's descent into darkness. Chris' obsession with saving Wyatt. The end of the world. The dominos had been put into place a long time ago, but _this_ was when they had started to fall. Piper's death had been the trigger.

"Two questions. One: where, in hells name, are we? And two: what was the point of those last memories? Not that they weren't cute, they were, but Wyatt was the furthest thing from evil." Paige asked Chris.

"This is Jake and Ally's house," Chris said, answering the first part of her question. "And to be honest, I don't really know what was the point of seeing those memories. I guess we're going to see a mix of important and random memories."

"Honest?" Leo scoffed out. "When was the last time you've told the truth, Christopher?"

Chris stiffened at the use of his full first name and glared at his father, the man he hated with a hatred that was burningly close to love. "Don't call me that."

"Call you what?" Leo asked, clueless as ever. "Christopher? Do you hate that name?"

 _No, you blithering idiot, he just hates it when you call him that_ , Cole thought to himself.

Chris opened his mouth to say something nearly identical to what Cole had just been thinking, but Leo continued on. "And how can you not know the point of those memories? They're _your_ memories after all."

"I believe it was the _Charmed Ones'_ spell that brought us here, not Chris." Cole pointed out, something that had Leo scowling at him.

"That may be, but if Christopher hadn't been a manipulative liar…"

"I believe he asked you _not_ to call him Christopher," Cole reminded Leo, "and if you hadn't been so damn nosey…"

As much as he appreciated his Uncle Cole for sticking up for him, _again_ , Chris knew that he should really step in and break it up before it came to blows. Hearing them fight though, Chris had to admit he felt more at home than he had in a long while.

"Enough!" Phoebe exclaimed, taking it upon herself to break up the bickering ex-brother-in-laws.

Both men immediately shut up.

"Leo, Cole's right," Phoebe admitted on a sigh, feeling the need to take responsibility for her part in this fiasco. " _We_ brought Chris here _against_ his will. Demanding that he have all the answers is not only unreasonable, it's downright foolish. You're asking for the impossible."

Leo was floored, absolutely floored, and stood there with his mouth gaping like a fish.

Cole smirked smugly at Leo, but kept quiet because he didn't want to risk Phoebe's wrath. You certainly wouldn't think it, but an angry Phoebe was someone _no one_ wanted to mess with.

"Piper…" Leo tried to appeal to her protective nature.

"Let's just see how this plays out." Piper suggested, playing the voice of reason. She wasn't sure what to make of anything anymore.

"So Chris," Paige said out of nowhere, "this is Jake and Ally's house, right?" Chris nodded, confused. "For someone who's all work and no fun, you sure seem to have a lot of good friends. Who would have thunk? So where are the two blonde wonder twins who aren't _actually_ twins?"

That hadn't come out of nowhere, Chris realized. She was trying to diffuse the tension that was thick in the room. "I–"

It was then that the front door swung open. A young man wearing a tight, long-sleeved gray top and Cole's eldest daughter– _Lauren_ –stormed into the room. In between them was a fourteen-year-old Chris. They stood on either side of him, carrying him on their shoulders. Memory Chris was covered in blood, soot, and grime. Trailing behind the trio was a girl who looked to be about eleven or twelve. The young girl had long, straight, jet-black hair and brown eyes. "Place him on the couch!" She directed. " _Hurry_!" The young girl shrieked, panic clear in her shaky voice.

"Is that Jake?" Paige asked, her eyes on the young man with the unmistakable white-blond hair. "Wow! He's all grown up. How old are you guys in this memory?"

Chris watched his family watching the memory. He was surprised that his Aunt Paige recognized Jake so easily, but hadn't been able to recognize the one person she _should_ have recognized…the young girl. Sophia Mitchell was the youngest of Paige and Henry's three children. Her twin sister, Cara, beat her by thirteen minutes.

On second thought, he really shouldn't be surprised by his Aunt Paige's failure to see what was literally right in front of her. His own mother hadn't recognized him either. Maybe it was a sister thing. "Jake's sixteen here, which means that I'm fourteen, Lauren's thirteen, and Sophia's eleven."

Paige nodded, acknowledging that she had heard him, and then shuddered when Jake walked _through_ her in order to get Memory Chris to the living room couch. "So weird," she stated before she and the rest of the onlookers followed the kids into the living room.

Once inside the living room, they laid Memory Chris on the couch and propped up his head with a pillow. Within seconds Lauren had assembled clean clothes, sheets, blankets, and a glass of water. Meanwhile Jake carefully removed Memory Chris' shirt, which was ruined beyond even magical repair, and then moved out of the way. Sophia filled the space where he had been, put her hands over the numerous wounds, and began to heal her older cousin. She waited anxiously for the magic to take full effect and then proceeded to smack him upside the head.

"Ouch!" Memory Chris whined, rubbing his head. "What was that for?"

"That was for going to the Underworld, _again_."

She smacked him again.

"And _that_ was just in case I don't get another chance." Sophia answered. "I'm dead meat if my dad finds out that I'm gone."

"I like her! She's got sassiness in spades!" Paige declared.

"Your dad's a mortal. Shouldn't we be more worried about Lauren's dad since he's a demon?" Jake asked.

Sophia looked at him with an expression that seemed to suggest he'd slipped down a few notches on the IQ scale, "he's a cop."

Lauren nodded, "Yeah. Plus, being a demon doesn't automatically make my dad evil. It just means that he's more susceptible to the dark side than other supernatural beings. You, of all people, should know that! Caleb, one of your oldest and best friends, is half-manticore!"

"That's my girl!" Cole said proudly.

"Why does that name sound so familiar? Caleb? I know I've heard that name somewhere recently…" Phoebe mused, searching the depths of her mind for a connection.

Chris sighed, knowing that it would come out sooner or later. "Probably because you have heard that name recently. Caleb is Derek's son."

Paige smacked Chris on the shoulder. Like mother, like daughter. "You wanted us to vanquish him!"

"Wait, why would you want to have him vanquished?" Cole asked curiously. Caleb had been just as much Chris' friend as he'd been Wyatt's. Unbeknownst to most, they were still friends. Caleb, Lord Wyatt's second in command, was actually a double agent working with the Resistance. Sadly, the same couldn't be said about Emily. The girl was to Wyatt what Ally had been to Chris.

Chris held back an amused grin, knowing he had an ace in the hole, and shrugged. "So he wouldn't flirt with and kiss my cousin."

"He did what? With _which_ cousin?" Cole asked, even though he had a sneaking suspicion he already knew the answer.

"With Lauren."

While Cole scowled at that and made a mental note to have a nice little "chat" with Caleb when he got back home, the sisters smiled at how adorably overprotective they were being.

"Are you sure about that?" Jake asked, causing everyone's eyes to fly back to the scene playing in front of them.

"I'm sure," Lauren said, rolling her eyes to show him how annoyed she was. "Speaking of guardians, where's your uncle?"

"Uncle Ethan spends six out of seven nights sleeping over at his girlfriend's apartment. He doesn't know how to handle two teenagers with magical powers, so he just…doesn't. I can't say that I blame him though. He's only twenty-six years old. Besides, I can take care of my sister and myself just fine." Jake explained.

"Where's Ally?" Memory Chris asked, frowning.

"Oh, so _now_ all of a sudden you care about her welfare? After you spent all day in the Underworld going after demons and putting your life at risk? You must be losing your screws, Chris," Jake said in a sarcastic tone.

"Of course I care about her," Memory Chris snapped, "she's my _girlfriend_."

"Yeah, and she's my sister. My _baby_ sister." Jake pointed out. "You're not going to do her any good if you're dead. You're supposed to be there for her. You're supposed to protect her when she's unable to protect herself. Lord knows I try, but I can't because she keeps herself closed off from everyone but you."

"Did something happen today? Is she okay?" Memory Chris asked, not understanding where this was coming from. Lauren, Memory Chris noticed, avoided his gaze. Much like her mother, she couldn't keep a secret if her life depended on it.

Something had definitely happened.

"Why don't you ask her that yourself?" Jake said before Lauren could spill the beans.

Memory Chris sighed, realizing he wasn't going to get a lot more out of them. He took the clean shirt that Lauren had grabbed for him and quickly threw it on over his head, getting ready to orb to Cat…wherever she was.

"Chris…" Jake trailed off hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"I understand how you feel, more than you know, but just remember there are a lot of people that love you and need you around." Jake told him. There was a deep sadness in his voice–a deep, dark, sadness. A sadness that Chris hadn't heard in years. Not since Jake and Ally's mother had died.

Memory Chris merely nodded, knowing there was nothing he could say to that.

* * *

When they appeared in the next memory, it was obvious they were in a cemetery. It was nighttime, but not so dark that they couldn't see. The moon hung serene in a cloudless but star-packed sky, full and knowing and bright.

Memory Chris was wearing the same clothes as before, so the onlookers assumed that this memory was just a continuation of the last one.

It didn't take them long to notice that Memory Chris was walking towards Ally. The two teens were the only people there, probably because visiting the cemetery was not usually an activity that people participated in unless there was a funeral.

Ally made a lonely figure, standing in front of a grave. She wore a pair of gray sweatpants that were way too big for her, which was due to the fact that they had originally belonged to Chris. The sweatpants rode low on her hips, highlighting her toned stomach. From the waist up, she wore a sports bra that was a bright, don't-run-me-over, neon pink color.

"What are you doing here?" Memory Chris asked once he was only a few feet away from her.

"I could ask you the same question, you know." Ally pointed out as she turned to face him. Her crystal blue eyes were rimmed red and despite her best attempts, there were tiny glittering tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Well, do you normally come to the cemetery by yourself at night?" Memory Chris questioned with sarcasm.

Ally shrugged. "Maybe."

"Cat, you're always telling me that you hate this place." Memory Chris said slowly, a frown working its way onto his face. To say he was confused would be an understatement. He was really, truly confused.

"My mom is buried here," Ally forced herself to say, barely recognizing her own voice.

Memory Chris nodded and waited for her to continue.

"Your mom is buried here too now."

Brutal, shattering spikes of pain blossomed in Memory Chris' chest. His lungs burned as he fought to force air past the giant lump in his throat.

Twenty-two year old Chris rubbed his hand over his chest, feeling an all-too-familiar ache. His mother's death would never stop being painful for him.

"Jake and I got pulled out of school today," Ally revealed, "our dad was found dead in a seedy motel room. They'll do an autopsy, but we all know the alcohol did it."

Memory Chris stood there, stunned.

 _Our dad was found dead._

 _I understand how you feel_ , Jake had told him, _more than you know_.

Her dad had died and all the while he had been in the Underworld. The realization that he had unintentionally abandoned her when she needed him the most, just as his own father had done to him a few horrible months ago, felt like a punch to the gut. It was devastating.

"Cat, I'm so sorry…"

Ally cut him off before he could continue because she didn't need an apology. As sad as she was about her dad's death, he hadn't been the dad she and Jake needed for the last several years. Not since their mother had died. So, no, it wasn't an apology she needed. What she desperately needed was to _finally_ admit the fears she'd been carrying around, "People I love keep dying. I can't sleep at night anymore because all I do is wonder about who's going to be next on death's list. One of our friends? Jake? Someone from your family? Could it be, God forbid, you?"

"Not if I can help it." Memory Chris said fiercely.

"Are you sure about that?" Ally asked as her eyes searched his. "Because it sure seems like you're tempting death with the way you've been acting lately. I can handle most things that life throws at me, but I can't handle the idea of losing you in any capacity. I'm scared of not being with you. I can't–"

"Stop, baby," Memory Chris said as he closed the gap between them. Cupping her cheek, he tilted her head back until their gazes met. "I'm here. You couldn't lose me if you tried."

Chris felt his heart breaking. Knowing what he knew now, it was difficult for him watch this past version of himself reassure her that everything was going to be okay.

Everything _hadn't_ turned out to be okay–not for any of them.

Ally sighed, relief washing through her as her body weakened against his. Wrapping his arms around her as she buried her face against his chest, he hugged her for all he was worth. In that moment, nothing else mattered except the two of them.

"How about we both do our best to stay away from life-threatening danger?" Memory Chris suggested, pulling back slightly so he could look at her beautiful face. "I can't handle losing you, either."

 _But I did end up losing her and to this day I still can't handle it_ , Chris thought to himself.

Before she had a chance to answer, Memory Chris reined kisses over her face. He kissed her cheeks, her eyelids, her nose, then finally settled on her mouth.

The kiss slowly ended, but they stayed against each other, foreheads touching. While their lips were still close, still sharing breath, Ally decided it was long past time to come _completely_ clean with him.

"I know that we're still pretty young, but I love you. Always have, always will."

For Memory Chris, those words were a whole lot of light in a time of such darkness and it overwhelmed him. His voice was thick with emotion as he whispered the truth back to her, "I love you too, Cat."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Well, there we go, Chapter 5! So yeah, Chris dealt with his mother's death by constantly going after demons in the Underworld…very similar to how Piper consumed herself with hunting demons after Prue's death. Like mother, like son lol. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! **Please review!**


	6. We Need to Talk About Wyatt

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Charmed. No infringement is intended and no profit is made from this story. This is a work of my own imagination, but I was inspired to write this after reading so many amazing Chris revelation stories over the years. So a huge thank you to Emma15 for writing _When Family Calls_ , DisneyRBD for writing _In His Soul_ , and NextGeneration for writing _Dead Promises_!

 **Author's Note:** I've gotten some fantastic feedback so far and I honestly can't thank everyone enough for taking the time to read, review, follow, and favorite this story!

* * *

 **Chapter Six:**

 **We Need to Talk About Wyatt**

" _This is the way the world ends_

 _Not with a bang but a whimper."_

– _T. S. Eliot, The Hollow Men_

* * *

Once again, they found themselves in a new memory. It was noticeable that they were no longer in the cemetery. Gone was the night sky with its mysterious depth, flickering stars, and illuminating moon. Gone were the graves that housed the corpses of loved ones. Gone was the ominous feeling. Instead, there were four walls with chalkboards hanging on all of them, a ceiling, and a marble floor. There was a large rectangular desk made from golden oak, which faced several rows of wooden classroom desks. It certainly didn't look like any of the classrooms they would see in their time. The empty classroom had a very Victorian mansion-style to it. They appeared to be in Magic School again.

While they waited for something–anything–to happen, Leo and the sisters seized the opportunity to ask Chris the questions that had been burning in their minds.

"So, that's how you coped with your mom's death? By going after demons in the Underworld?" Piper asked, more curious than suspicious to hear what his answer would be.

Chris shrugged, "I was consumed by bitterness and vengeance. You should know what that's like."

Piper nodded at that, thoughts of Prue on her mind.

"And you let him?" Phoebe questioned Cole, her eyes narrowing in accusation.

Staring at this past version of his wife in surprise, Cole thought about how to explain it. He couldn't tell her the truth, which was that pure chaos followed in the wake of Piper's death. The adults, himself included, had been so preoccupied that they had failed to notice Chris lashing out at the world. They had failed to notice Wyatt's disappearing act.

It was a failure of colossal proportions. "Things were…complicated," he finally answered.

"What about your father?" Paige asked softly.

 _Here we go_ , Cole thought to himself as he noted the wry, bitter smile that was now on his nephew's face.

"My dad was as deadbeat as they come. He was a non-factor in my life. Unless, of course, you count his absence as a factor." Chris answered.

Leo frowned, sensing there was something that they weren't catching on to. Surprisingly, however, he decided to let it go for the time being. He was slowly, _very_ slowly, starting to see Chris in a new light. He wouldn't go as far as to say he liked or even trusted the half-whitelighter, but did he still _hate_ him? Before the last two memories, the answer would have been a resounding yes, but now…now it was no.

Not used to the deafening silence, Chris asked, "any other questions?"

"I have another question for you, Future Boy," Paige declared. "Was what you and Ally had puppy love or was it the real, I-want-to-wake-up-next-to-you-every-morning-and-spend-the-rest-of-my-life-with-you, love?"

Before Chris could answer his Aunt's question, the door to the classroom flew open, revealing Ally. She wore an oversized lilac cable-knit sweater and white knee-high platform boots. It was probably not the most appropriate outfit for school, but she _did_ look fantastic. Memory Chris followed behind her.

Unlike in the other memories, he was no longer lanky. Tall, lean and muscular, and sporting a relatively carefree attitude, Memory Chris looked every bit the fifteen-year-old boy that he was.

"Alone at last," Memory Chris smirked.

Ally rolled her eyes, but couldn't hide her own smile. "Is that all you think about, Kit?"

"You're the one who dragged me into this empty classroom," Memory Chris teased.

Phoebe was riveted by the interaction between the two teens, but that was mostly because she had never seen this side of their neurotic whitelighter. Up until now, there had been no inkling that this side of him even existed. It was weird and incredible all at once.

"Only because I need to talk to you and I don't want an audience for it," Ally replied. "Even you have to admit that your family can be a bit nosey at times."

Cole snorted. A bit? That was the understatement of the century.

"Is this about Wyatt again?" Memory Chris questioned.

"What does _that_ mean?" Piper asked.

Chris sighed before simply responding, "you'll find out soon enough."

Biting her lower lip, Ally quietly confided in her boyfriend, "He's been acting strange lately. And it's not just me who's noticed it. Jake and Caleb have complained about it, too. I really think something is up."

"I can promise you that everything is fine. Wy _has_ been spending more time in the Underworld, but that's just because we're coming up on the first anniversary of…you know…the event." Memory Chris explained.

Ally didn't look too convinced.

"You're worrying your pretty little head over nothing, Cat," Memory Chris assured her in an effort to put her worries to rest. He moved closer to her so that there was barely any space between them. "Now, do you really want to keep talking when there are other, more exciting things we could be doing?"

"You're impossible," Ally said, shaking her head in mock despair. "What am I going to do with you?"

"I have a few ideas." And then Memory Chris captured her mouth to demonstrate. The couple engaged in a hot and heavy make-out session, oblivious to the fact that they had an audience that couldn't be seen…an audience that just so happened to include a past version of his _mother_.

"Are all of your memories from here on out going to end up with you two kissing?" Piper asked, a frown on her face. For some reason, she felt extremely uncomfortable with this display of affection even though it was technically taking place in private. Piper was quick to put a hand over her eyes and look away when Memory Chris lifted Ally into his arms, his hands cupping her bottom as her legs wrapped securely around his waist, and carried her to the teacher's desk.

Chris blushed crimson. Even though this Piper wasn't his mother yet, having _her_ witness what was supposed to be a private moment between him and the girl who meant the world to him was still embarrassing beyond belief. This was the stuff his early teenage nightmares were made of. Part of Chris wished a black hole would appear and swallow him up. But another part of him, the part that missed Cat so much that he felt like he was missing a limb, wished he could stay in that moment forever.

"But they make such a cute couple!" Phoebe squealed, staying true to her personality. She'd always been a sucker for romance. "They remind me of you and Leo, Piper. Or how…" Phoebe trailed off, unable to finish that line of thought.

"How _we_ used to be?" Cole supplied for her.

Phoebe said nothing, but the look on her face confirmed what he already knew.

Suddenly, a familiar voice shouted, "Christopher Perry, Ally Monroe!" It was shouted in a tone that caused Memory Chris and Ally to break apart. Those _in_ the memory and those _watching_ the memory looked towards the classroom door.

Both Chrises winced at who they saw standing there.

"That's me!" Paige exclaimed.

Leo, Piper, and Phoebe's eyes widened at the sight of Future Paige. Having changed her red hair back to brown, her resemblance to her sisters was even more noticeable than before. Black robes similar to those they had seen the Magic School head master wearing covered most of her outfit, but from what little they _could_ see, it seemed like she wore more conservative clothes. Other than that, she didn't look that much different.

"Hey Ms. Matthews," Memory Chris greeted sheepishly.

For once, Chris didn't have to worry about his identity being revealed. His Aunt Paige had been a teacher at Magic School for as long as he could remember and then some. From what he'd heard from the family gossip vine, some of the other Magic School teachers had given Paige a hard time because she was a Charmed One, even going so far as to accuse her of showing favoritism towards her nieces and nephews. That was ultimately the reason why she was so adamant about keeping her family life separate from school. She was Ms. Matthews in school, not mom or Aunt Paige.

"Have I ever told you that you're my favorite teacher?" Ally asked, her cheeks turning redder than an apple with embarrassment, in an obvious attempt to butter her up.

"I become a teacher at Magic School?" Paige asked.

Chris nodded in confirmation.

"No, you haven't," Future Paige said with an amused smile and a twinkling in her eyes, "and somehow I doubt you're going to feel the same way in the coming days."

The onlookers didn't get to hear Ally's response to Future Paige's cryptic words because they were pulled into another memory.

* * *

It was clear that they were _still_ in Magic School. This time, however, they appeared to be in what was either the library or common area.

"So, what punishment did I dole out? Detention? Polishing trophies?" Paige asked curiously.

Chris snorted, "I wish it had been one of those. But, no, instead you just _had_ to get creative and come up with a punishment that was way worse than any of the ones you just listed."

"Something creative," Paige repeated slowly as she tried to get inside her future self's mind.

"You talked the head master into implementing a mandatory sex education course similar to those taught in public schools." Chris told her, shuddering as it all came rushing back to him. "As if that wasn't bad enough, the course was taught by that one weird teacher. It was awful."

The explanation caused the sisters, Leo, and Cole to burst into laughter.

"That _is_ a creative punishment." Paige said, obviously impressed with herself…her future self.

"You should have just stuck to making out in a parked car or on the couch at home like I told you when we had the talk." Cole joked, prompting Phoebe to smack his arm.

"So, do you know if we're getting any closer to the doom and gloom?" Paige asked Chris once the laughter had died down. She wasn't _purposely_ trying to put a damper on things with her depressing questions, but the anticipation was killing her.

Curious himself, he looked around the room, searching for clues. Anything that would provide insight. Immediately, he noticed that the school calendar was displayed on one of the walls. A quick glance at it confirmed that they were about to witness one of the many memories Chris had been dreading.

It was November 4, 2019.

The day Wyatt took over.

Cole noticed that his nephew had suddenly gone pale and that worried him. "What is it, Chris?"

"All the doom and gloom starts here," Chris said slowly, "this is the day the world went to hell in a handbasket."

* * *

The Resistance Headquarters; 2026

"You're going to have to kill me because the only way you're bringing that _spineless, backstabbing, flea-brained vermin_ into these Headquarters is over my cold, dead body."

Lauren Sienna Turner, the eldest daughter of Phoebe and Cole, winced. The words were harsh, but they were inevitable and came as no surprise. Melinda always liked her insults to be pointed.

"Believe me, Mel, I don't like this anymore than you do, but it needs to be done." Lauren said, trying to accomplish the nearly impossible task of getting Melinda onboard the mission to rescue Emily. Her younger cousin could be just as stubborn as Chris when she wanted to be.

"We have a whole waiting list of people more worthy of being given a coveted spot in these Headquarters or one of the Safehouses. Instead, you want to waste our space and resources on the monster's main bitch?"

Lauren sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, frustration spreading like wildfire within her. There were times in which she wished that Chris had never left her in charge of the Resistance, times in which she wished that Junior had been left in charge despite the fact that she was the eldest heir of the Halliwell line after Wyatt and Chris. This was one of those times. "Was," Lauren corrected, "She _was_ Wyatt's main bitch. She sought me out because she's through with being his main bitch."

"How convenient." Melinda commented sardonically.

"She thought that staying with him would help him through what she thought was just a dark phase in his life."

"Well, that obviously didn't work," Melinda said with a bitter laugh. "But did she leave once she realized that she couldn't save him from the inside? No. She stayed. She could have let him go like we all did. Yeah it hurt like hell, but we had no other choice… _he_ left us with no other choice. What he was doing was wrong, but apparently that didn't matter to her because she stayed. As Uncle Henry, God rest his soul, would have said: she aided and abetted him. She was, is, and forever will be Wyatt's main bitch as far as I'm concerned."

"It wasn't that simple. It never is. Emily loved Wyatt." Lauren said. This wasn't _just_ about Emily staying. Melinda's hatred stemmed from something deeper than that. And Lauren understood it, she really did. But she also sort of understood the position that Emily had been in. Love was a powerful drug. It could impair your judgment, cloud your thoughts, and make you do things you wouldn't do in normal circumstances.

Lauren knew that all too well. She'd been dating Caleb for months now. Most of her family and friends, however, had no idea because she'd kept the relationship a secret. Even though she was old enough to date, her dad would probably have a coronary if he found out. After mom died, he'd gone all overprotective. Then Lacey had…she still couldn't bring herself to use the "D" word to describe her middle sister because it hurt too much…and he'd started acting like she would break. As the eldest child, she'd been a daddy's girl from day one. Never in a million years did she think she would ever lie to her dad, but clearly love made you do crazy things sometimes.

"She better have loved him with every fiber of her being," Melinda said. For one promising moment, Lauren thought she had gotten through to her cousin. But then Melinda continued on to say, "otherwise she killed Ally for nothing."

And there it was.

The real reason why Melinda hated Emily.

"It was a cruel test designed by Wyatt. One that took advantage of her feelings for him. One that he thought would help him achieve two things in a single action. It was supposed to prove that Emily was loyal to him, which it did, and it was supposed to sway Chris to his side, which…well…we all know how that turned out. We all could have told him that killing Ally would seal the deal and guarantee that Chris would _never_ join him, but he wouldn't have listened. Wyatt was convinced that Ally was poisoning Chris against him. Wyatt was convinced that Ally was a threat that needed to be eliminated. You and I both know that if Emily hadn't done it, then he would have just found someone else to do it." It was a weak excuse, even to Lauren's ears.

"Wy was already too far gone at that point," Melinda acknowledged with a deep sadness in her voice, "but Emily doesn't have that excuse to fall back on."

"Melinda…"

"There is nothing you could say that would change my mind. Nothing! What Emily did wasn't only unthinkable, it was unforgivable." Melinda exploded, feeling her blood pressure rising to dangerous heights.

Before Lauren could think it through, she said, "What if Chris said something? What if Chris gave us permission to bring Emily into the Headquarters?"

"He wouldn't. There's no way."

"But if he did?"

Lauren didn't need to have her mother's empathy powers to know what her younger cousin was currently feeling. Melinda's body language said it all. Arms crossed over her chest, chin jutted, jaw tight, lips pursed, pacing back and forth, pausing occasionally to glare daggers at her. It was as clear as day. Melinda was irritated.

Melinda remained stubbornly silent for a moment. Then after what seemed like forever, " _If_ Chris okays it, then I'll stand down," Melinda reluctantly said before she stormed out of the room.

Lauren wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but she couldn't celebrate just yet. Getting to Chris would be difficult. Not impossible, but very, very difficult. And there was a real possibility that Chris _wouldn't_ okay it.

After all, there was no denying that he had every reason to hate Emily.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I know, I know, I know…you guys must _hate_ me right now for teasing the memory of Wyatt's take over. But I figured that such a major event deserved a chapter of its own. Anyways, we finally find out what happened to Cat and it really is no wonder Chris is so obsessed with saving Wyatt (besides the fact that Wyatt's his big brother). By saving Wyatt he also saves Cat. Also, I won't blame you guys if you were surprised by Melinda's attitude, but I thought it made sense. Chris is basically all she has left (in terms of her immediate family at least), so _of course_ she would be fiercely protective of him. Hope you guys enjoyed this installment! I will definitely try to update soon. **Please review!**


	7. Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Charmed. No infringement is intended and no profit is made from this story. This is a work of my own imagination, but I was inspired to write this after reading so many amazing Chris revelation stories over the years. So a huge thank you to Emma15 for writing _When Family Calls_ , DisneyRBD for writing _In His Soul_ , and NextGeneration for writing _Dead Promises_!

 **Author's Note:** You guys continue to impress me with number of reviews, favorites, and follows for each chapter. Thank you so, so much for all the lovely reviews you've been sending me! Also, I'm _very_ relieved to know that you guys don't hate me for teasing Wyatt's take over like that in the last chapter lol.

 **BeautifulHalfBlood** **:** I actually thought about having "my" half-manticore end up with Melinda, but I thought it would be weird if all Piper and Leo's children were paired off (Wyatt with Emily, Chris with Ally, Melinda with Caleb) and none of the other members of the next generation were lol. I'm so glad you're loving this story so far. I like the Coop/Phoebe pairing as well, but I ultimately chose to go with Cole/Phoebe because I wanted to add a twist to the story (especially since the whole Charmed Ones + Leo go into Chris' memories has already been done so many times). For some reason, I'm a sucker for creating OCs, so that's where Ally comes in. Please, feel free to let me know if she comes across like a Mary Sue at any point in this story (that's definitely a worry of mine)! And I love the fic _False Memories_ , so that's a huge compliment! Thank you so much for the awesome review!

And now, without further ado, here is Wyatt's take over!

* * *

 **Chapter Seven:**

 **Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust**

" _Does this darkness have a name? This cruelty, this hatred, how did it find us? Did it steal into our lives or did we seek it out and embrace it? What happened to us that we now send our children into the world like we send young men to war, hoping for their safe return, but knowing that some would be lost along the way. When did we lose our way? Consumed by the shadows. Swallowed whole by the darkness. Does this darkness have a name? Is it your name?"_

– _Lucas Scott from One Tree Hill (season 3, episode 16: With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept)_

* * *

 _This is the day the world went to hell in a handbasket._

Piper reeled from those twelve words, her emotions spinning a hundred directions.

She could put two and two together as well as anybody else: Wyatt was supposedly going to turn evil; they were going to witness something that would send the world to hell.

The look on the half-whitelighter's face made it difficult to doubt either of those propositions. It was pained, haunted, and the mother in her wanted to erase that look.

But as an actual mother, _as Wyatt's mother_ , she refused to accept the obvious deduction. There was no way that her son could be the one to send the world to hell.

She paced the floor trying to shake the feeling of dread that had slowly taken hold of her, but without success. The awful, terrible, horrible feeling only intensified when she noticed that Cole was regarding her with what could only be described as pity.

"Piper," Leo gently said her name, bringing her attention to him. "There's no telling what this memory will show, but whatever it is we'll find a way through it, one way or another. Like we always have. We're in this together."

When Leo reached for her hand, the pair naturally fell into a hug. Piper buried her face against his chest, solid and broad, borrowing from the strength he so readily offered. "I couldn't have asked for a better father for Wyatt," she said, her voice muffled as she pressed herself tight against him. "Thank you."

Phoebe and Paige, teary-eyed, watched the emotional exchange between father and mother. Chris, however, looked away. He was twisted up inside with anger, guilt, jealousy, and hurt. Piper's statement was true, now _and_ in his time. Leo was an amazing father, but _only_ to Wyatt. He was, at best, a neglectful father to Chris and Melinda.

"Okay," Piper said, once she had composed herself. "Time for the moment of truth."

Taking a page out of Piper's book, the two teary-eyed sisters composed themselves as well.

Everyone's attention then turned back to the memory, wanting to get it over with as quickly and as painlessly as possible.

They were in Magic School's common area and there were students everywhere. Some were sprawled along couches. Others were curled up in chairs, reading books. Most were sitting around tables, laughing and chatting away.

"Shouldn't all of these students be in class?" Paige asked with a frown.

"This is a free period." Chris explained.

"I thought that's what lunch time was for," Paige said, thinking back to her own school days. "It seems a bit excessive to have both when the students could be using that extra time to learn more."

"Spoken like a true teacher," Phoebe teased her baby sister. Piper, Leo, Cole, and Chris laughed when Paige crinkled her nose at the reminder of her future occupation.

Paige had nothing against teachers. In fact, she'd always thought that it was one of the noblest professions. The problem was that she just couldn't picture _herself_ as a teacher. It probably didn't help that the memory of Wyatt inadvertently bringing a dragon to life was still fresh in her mind.

"Hey Chris," she said in an attempt to change the subject, "who's the girl?"

Five pairs of eyes traveled in the direction that Paige was looking at. Four teenagers stood in the middle of the room, but only two of them were recognizable to those from the past: Memory Chris and Ally.

"The girl is Emily," Chris told them. Emily, the oldest of the four at seventeen, was standing between Memory Chris and Ally. Her curly auburn hair, her most striking feature, was currently pulled up in a messy bun. She wore all black–black jeans, black boots, and a black long sleeve spandex shirt. Ropes of silver necklaces hung down her neck and a rhinestone headband sat atop her head. On the surface, she looked exactly like he'd remembered. But on closer inspection, Chris noticed that there was a hint of tiredness around her eyes and in her posture. Maybe Jake, Caleb, and Ally hadn't been the only ones to notice that Wyatt had been acting strange…

"And the boy?" Paige asked, referring to the young boy with brown hair who was standing across from Emily.

"Junior," Chris said at the same time Cole said, "Henry."

"His legal name _is_ Henry, but most people call him Junior." Chris explained.

Seeing Junior hurt a lot more than he'd imagined it would. Even though Lauren was the cousin he was closest to, the second closest to him was without a doubt Junior. Being raised in a large family of mostly girls, the only three boys had formed a fast and strong bond. Chris missed Junior and it was killing him that he had no idea how Junior was doing, or if he was even still alive.

Seeing Emily also hurt, but for different, more complicated reasons.

"I don't blame Jake at all," the boy now known as Junior said, "he walked in on every big brother's worst nightmare: his little sister about to get it on with her boyfriend."

"Junior!" Emily exclaimed in a scolding tone.

"What? It's true! If I ever walked in on Cara or Sophia doing that…" the boy shuddered dramatically to make his point. "Thank Merlin they're not allowed to date until they're at least sixteen."

Ally rolled her eyes. "Jake is overreacting and being a drama king about it." She waved a hand as if dismissing it. She wished it were that easy. The story had spread like wildfire through the halls and classrooms of Magic School. Each time around, it was embellished, exaggerated by the storyteller. It was now more fantasy than nonfiction.

"As per usual," Emily added, an amused smile curving the corners of her mouth.

"Did he really make appointments with fifteen hypnotherapists to see if they would be able to delete the unwanted memory from his mind?" Junior barely managed to get the question out, he was laughing so hard.

"Why do you think he's absent from school today?" Memory Chris asked back.

"Wait a minute," Emily said as realization dawned. "We had back-to-back tests in Literature and Potions this morning! That sneaky fucker!"

It was Memory Chris and Ally's turn to burst into a hysterical fit of laughter, practically to the point of bending over and holding their stomachs.

"Just wait until I get ahold of him. Not even magic will be able to help him," Emily fumed, "he better pray to the high heavens that I don't decide to tell Ms. Matthews."

"Hey!" Paige exclaimed, her eyes narrowing. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, in case you didn't pick up on it in the last memory, you can be a scary teacher when you want to be." Cole informed her, remembering all the times Chris and Lauren had ranted about her _creative_ punishments.

Before anyone could press him for further details, a voice suddenly came over the intercom system, clear and sharp. "All afternoon classes are cancelled. If a parent or guardian is unable to pick you up, please remain inside the school. I repeat, _please remain inside the school_."

The announcement was met with thunderous applause and whoops of delight from the students in the common area. Classes being cancelled rarely happened, but when it did, it was considered a major win.

The panic and alarm in the head master's voice was missed by all, save the onlookers. Chris, who now had the benefit of hindsight, was struck by how stupid he had been back then. He should have known something was wrong. He should have picked up on the signs that had been staring him in the face. If he had done things differently, then maybe he could have saved some lives.

"Guys, guys," one of the students suddenly shouted. "My friend from Lowell High School just texted me. Magic has been exposed! It's all over the news!"

Low murmurs and whispered fears spread throughout the room like ripples in a pond.

One of the students turned on the television that hung from the ceiling and quickly flipped the channels to the news.

On the screen, images of demons attacking and causing mayhem flashed by. The "Breaking News" banner that ran across the bottom of the screen read: MAGIC IS REAL; WORLD UNDER ATTACK.

"Turn it up," Memory Chris demanded. Ally instinctively reached out to hold his hand, giving it a tight squeeze, letting him know that she was there for him. He squeezed her hand back.

Even in their silence, they were communicating with each other.

That further cemented Phoebe's earlier opinion of the couple. Chris and Ally had the kind of love that Piper and Leo had. The always-and-forever kind of love.

"…the tip line has been ablaze with reports of demonic attacks on civilians, or mortals as we've just recently learned the magical community refers to us as. The President of the United States has issued a national state of emergency. While I can confirm the deck of the Golden Gate Bridge has collapsed, rumors of a White House siege are false…"

The anchor delivering the somber and shocking news was cut off when a loud alarm suddenly went off in Magic School.

The onlookers covered their ears to block out the jarring noise and so did the students in the memory. While the sisters and Leo had a look of confusion on their faces, the students in the memory had a look of pure fear on their faces because they all knew the alarm going off could only mean one thing: intruders in the school.

A dozen demons shimmered in, blocking the entrances and exits of the room. The demons were relentless in their pursuit of total destruction, throwing energy balls and fireballs in rapid succession. Pandemonium ensued as some students stood their ground and others, mostly the younger students, ran for cover.

It wasn't long before all of the teachers appeared, most of them being orbed into the room by Future Paige. While the teachers were easily outnumbered by the demons, they managed to divert the attacks away from the students.

" _Crossbow!_ " Future Paige yelled upon seeing a demon aim his crossbow directly at Junior. The crossbow orbed out of the demons hands and into hers. "Big mistake," she growled. Without any hint of hesitation or remorse, she shot the demon with his own arrow, vanquishing him.

With the main threat to her son's safety taken care of, Future Paige turned her attention to her nephew. Memory Chris was on top of a demon, punching him repeatedly in the face, saying, "This one is for daring to even _think_ about hurting Ally and this one is for terrorizing my classmates. Now, tell me, who sent you?"

The demon merely smirked. "You and your _kind_ ," the demon spat the word as if it was the lowliest of insults, "stand no chance against the new Lord." For someone who had just gotten beat up by a teenager, he looked awfully pleased. It unnerved the onlookers.

Apparently, it unnerved Future Paige as well because she suddenly stomped down hard on the demon's hand with heel of her nude pump. "Answer the boy's question," she demanded over his cries of agony. "Who. Sent. You?"

"Lord Wyatt," the demon finally admitted.

Memory Chris' face went pale with horror. "No," he said, shaking his head. "No, no, no, no, no…" he chanted.

This caused the demon to laugh wickedly. "Look on the dark side, I'm sure Lord Wyatt has a place for you in his regime."

"YOU LIAR!" Memory Chris screamed before using his telekinesis power to crush the demon's heart. The demon burst into flames and burned to nothing.

"Chris," Future Paige said slowly. The look in Memory Chris' eyes when he finally looked up was something that would forever haunt the sisters, Leo, and Cole. It was the look of someone whose entire world had just been shattered.

"It's not true. It can't be."

It was obvious that her youngest nephew was in shock, understandably, and there was nothing she could say that would make it any better. Now was not the time for that anyway. "Chris, I need you to get Junior, Ally, and Emily out of here!" Future Paige instructed with urgency, but Chris was rooted to the spot, catatonic in disbelief. Future Paige sighed. She could see that she was going to have to bring out the big guns. "Please, think of your sister, Chris. Melinda already lost her mother, do you really want to leave her brotherless, too?"

That did the trick.

"Of course not," Memory Chris rasped, horrified by that his Aunt Paige could think such a thing.

"Then get out of here and go check on the others!" Future Paige shouted.

"But what about the rest of the students?"

"The teachers and I will get them out of here safely." Future Paige assured him.

Memory Chris nodded, reaching out to hold Ally's hand again. Emily, who was hugging Junior protectively to her chest, grabbed Memory Chris' other hand. The four teenagers orbed out in a shower of blue and white lights.

Future Paige sighed once again, but this time in relief. She had _some_ peace of mind in knowing that one of her three children was safe and sound. "I _will_ get every last student out of here safely, even if it means I have to die in the process," she said to herself. Even though she didn't want to leave her children without a mother, it was a sacrifice that she was willing to make. Besides, the only way she could die was by the poison tip of a darklighter's arrow and thankfully she hadn't seen any of those so far.

As the six time travelers were sent to another memory, only the sound of Piper's heart wrenching sobs could be heard.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So was Wyatt's take over everything you guys thought it would be? I hope none of the characters seemed too OOC. I always imagined that Chris would be the type of person to have a huge guilt complex. Also, the truth hit him especially hard because he was in such denial about Wyatt's strange behavior. But now reality has finally broken through in the worst way possible and I'll definitely be exploring how he handles it in the upcoming chapters (hint: not well). Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! **Please review!**


	8. The Resistance: Origins

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Charmed. No infringement is intended and no profit is made from this story. This is a work of my own imagination, but I was inspired to write this after reading so many amazing Chris revelation stories over the years. So a huge thank you to Emma15 for writing _When Family Calls_ , DisneyRBD for writing _In His Soul_ , and NextGeneration for writing _Dead Promises_!

 **Author's Note:** Okay, before you read this chapter, I just wanted to address something that I've seen a few people mention in the reviews: the big reveal about Chris' identity is not going to take place until after the trip down memory lane. While I'm dying for the sisters and Leo to _finally_ get a clue, they already have a lot to deal with as it is (finding out that Chris was telling the truth all along, that Wyatt turns evil, that the future is a total mess, etc.) When they find out who Chris really is to them, they're definitely going to need time to focus on making it all up to him (especially Leo)!

* * *

 **Chapter Eight:**

 **The Resistance: Origins**

" _We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated."_

– Maya Angelou

* * *

"How did you know for sure that Wyatt was the one behind…well, everything we just saw? I mean, yeah, I know that one demon said that Wyatt sent him, but demons lie all the time," Phoebe pointed out once they appeared in the memory. Looking over to her ex-husband, she quickly added, "No offense."

"None taken," Cole said, flashing her a charming smile. Even though she wasn't _his_ Phoebe, it couldn't hurt to start laying the groundwork for his past self.

Meanwhile, Chris turned to look at his youngest-turned-middle aunt, surprised. He had expected the question from Paige or Leo, but not from Phoebe.

He looked at her carefully, trying to gauge her expression and her body language. She seemed genuinely interested in his answer rather than judgmental.

Chris sighed, a feeling of intense discomfort settling on him as he realized that there was no way of avoiding this dreaded conversation. It wasn't that he was trying to be cagey, or secretive, or any of the things his family had accused him of. It was that he didn't like _talking_ about these events, much less _reliving_ them. It brought the pain back with a vengeance, crashing through the numbness he'd worked so long and hard to perfect. Now because of his family, the people that were supposed to protect him, he was being forced to do _both_.

"The fact that the demons were able to find Magic School was, in and of itself, a huge red flag because it's in a separate, well-hidden realm. The real giveaway, though, was the fact that they were able to get into Magic School." Chris explained.

"Why is that?" Phoebe asked.

To everyone's shock, Leo was the one who answered that question. "The Elders created Magic School in a way that would ensure that the premises, the students were safe. On top of there being protective shields and wards over the school grounds, you need to have permission to enter. It _should_ be impenetrable, but if someone were to figure out the protective shields and wards used to cloak the school…" Leo trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. He ran a hand over his face, visibly struggling to make sense of the unthinkable.

Chris nodded, dumbfounded that Leo had actually stepped in to help him explain. "Wyatt was able to find out what shields and wards were cast over Magic School from Paige. He disabled them the morning of the attack and gave the demons permission to enter the school."

Piper, who had quieted down, broke into another round of sobs. She'd experienced more than her fair share of ups-and-downs, but this was decidedly the worst. She'd never felt so helpless in her life. She'd never felt more guilt or pain than she did at this moment. Being a mother was the most important job in her life, and she had obviously failed at it somewhere along the way. Miserably.

Phoebe and Paige went over to their distraught big sister, one on each side, wrapping their arms around her.

"Was I…future me…able to get the students out safely?" Paige asked as she rubbed small, comforting circles on Piper's back.

"Yes, you helped make sure they all got out safely. Three students were injured in the attack, but it could have easily been far worse." Chris paused and worried his lower lip, not knowing whether to keep going or to stop completely. "All of the teachers, except you, were killed."

Paige exhaled a breath she hadn't even realized she's been holding. She obviously felt bad that her future colleagues had been killed, but she was beyond relieved to know that all of the students had gotten out okay.

What she didn't know was that her husband, Henry, died responding to one of the many attacks that had taken place that day. Phoebe died that day as well. Just like Prue, her last minutes on Earth were spent protecting an innocent.

"Okay," Paige responded awkwardly, not knowing what else to say to that. She wasn't alone in that respect. The five other travelers had no idea what to say either. The atmosphere was laden with sadness and she sensed that Piper was close to tears again. Gathering every bit of strength she possessed to deal with the emotional rollercoaster that was undoubtedly ahead of them, she managed to ask Chris, "Where are we now?"

Chris frowned, as did the others, realizing with a start that they hadn't looked around their new surroundings.

They appeared to be in an entryway. It wasn't quite as large as the foyer in Jake and Ally's house had been, but it was spacious enough to fit all six of them and a small gold entry table that had floating candles and white orchids on it. Gold wallpaper, high ceilings, warm lighting, and cherry wood flooring gave the space a cozy feel.

A look crossed Cole's face, but it was gone before anyone could decipher it, and he admitted, "This is my penthouse." There was a look of confusion on the sisters and Leo's faces. Unless he had done a lot of remodeling, this wasn't the penthouse Cole and Phoebe had once lived in. "It's a different penthouse. The old one was too painful for me to go back to as it was a constant reminder of the time when I had spiraled dangerously out of control," he explained, giving Phoebe a meaningful look. He had more regrets than he cared to think about, especially where Phoebe was concerned, each one more complex than the last.

Phoebe looked away, overwhelmed by the intensity of the moment and his gaze.

"What was that look on your stupid face for, then?" Paige demanded, glaring daggers at her ex-brother-in-law. He was saying all the right things and sounded genuine enough, but Paige was always going to be suspicious of him. Just as some habits were hard to break, some natural impulses were all but impossible to overcome.

"This place holds a lot of memories for me," Cole answered simply, " _good_ memories." It was why he hadn't been able to let it go when he'd married Phoebe again. Instead of selling it, they rented it out vacationers and made some extra money off it. Before everything had gone to hell, he'd planned on using the penthouse to convince Lauren to go to a local university. Phoebe used to laugh at the plan and call him crazy, but she understood where he'd been coming from. After the mess with the Seer and their unborn son, which was one of his biggest regrets because he had taken advantage of Phoebe's desire to have children of her own, Lauren was sunshine and rainbows and all that was good in the world.

"If this is your penthouse, then not a lot of time has passed since Wyatt's take over." Chris mused out loud, suddenly remembering that this was where they–what was left of his family–had briefly taken refuge.

He walked out of the entryway, with the five others following closely behind him. The entryway flowed into a sweeping open layout that consisted of the family room, kitchen, and breakfast area. Sleeping bags and pillows littered the floor of the San Francisco penthouse. The sisters and Leo were able to recognize most of the kids that were sprawled out under, in, or on top of the sleeping bags. Ally was the easiest to recognize since she'd been in most of Chris' memories. Next to and across from her were older versions of Cole's three girls–Lauren, Lacey, and Lyla. Then, finally, there was a young girl that they hadn't seen in any of the previous memories.

The scene _almost_ passed as being nothing more than a sleepover between friends, but the items on the coffee table spoke of an emergency-like-situation. Band-Aides in a variety of shapes and sizes. Peroxide. Antibiotic ointments. Gauze, in both pads and rolls. A folded-up map and crystal pendant. Vials of blood, each carefully labeled. A pot and a large wooden spoon. Several potion ingredients. It seemed as if somebody had just grabbed everything that looked remotely useful; as if they'd never see or find this kind of stuff again.

"Would you rather be captured by one of Wyatt's goons or by a D2D wack job?" One of Cole's girls, the one with reddish-brown hair, asked.

Leo and Piper flinched at the fact that their son now apparently had goons at his command.

"Oh, that's easy. I'd choose a D2D wack job over one of Wyatt's goons any day," the new girl answered with a half-smile, half-smirk on her pretty face. She had soft, green-gray doe eyes and long brown hair that was the same shade as Chris' hair. Much like with Jake and Ally, the resemblance between the neurotic half-whitelighter that they were slowly beginning to trust and this girl was striking.

"Chris, is that your sister? And what is D2D?" Phoebe asked.

Since it had already been revealed that he had a little sister, Chris nodded his head in confirmation, "Yeah, that's Melinda, my little sister." The second question required a bit more consideration, so Chris took a moment to form an answer that wouldn't give _too_ much information away. "The take over was planned with care and executed with precision, but Wyatt didn't really have a plan in place for after he took over. I think he just assumed that everyone would bow down to him without so much as a whimper of opposition. Obviously, that wasn't the case. It _never_ is. Does that make sense so far?" Chris asked, wanting to make sure that they were following along.

The sisters and Leo nodded.

"Okay, so basically," he continued from where he left off earlier, "Wyatt's take over resulted in the emergence of three groups: D2D was the first, followed by the Witch Hunters, and then finally the Resistance. D2D is essentially a hate group; they believe that all of Wyatt's friends deserve to die."

And by _friends_ , he really meant _family_.

In his defense, though, it was close enough to the truth. "Family" and "friends" were two words that were interchangeable to the Halliwells.

"But…why?" Paige spluttered. "From everything we've seen so far, Wyatt acted alone in his plot to take over the world."

Chris shrugged. "Guilty by association, I guess."

"Chris, that's horrible!" Paige cried, shocked and horrified in equal measure.

"Lacey's description of them was pretty spot on; they're just a bunch of wack jobs. Not really a serious threat. The Witch Hunters, on the other hand…" He trailed off, not trusting his voice to say anymore, knowing that it would be hard to conceal his emotions. The Witch Hunters were honestly one of the worst thing to come out of the take over.

Phoebe, who had paled at the mention of Witch Hunters, nodded in understanding. The thought of witches being executed, of being burned at the stake, brought tears to her eyes. _Nobody_ should _ever_ have to go through that. Having experienced it herself, albeit in another future, she could also attest to how cruel and barbaric Witch Hunters could be.

"That's not something to joke about, Melinda," Ally scolded, startling the six time travelers. "Your brother wouldn't be able to live with himself if something, God forbid, were to ever happen to you."

"She's right. I really wish you would take your safety more seriously," Memory Chris said as he and Jake suddenly entered the room.

Melinda's eyes narrowed to slits as she turned to face her big brother, her hands on her hips. She looked exactly like her mother when she was pissed. How the sisters and Leo could remain so blind to what was so obvious, Cole had no idea. Neither did Chris, for that matter, but he was thankful for it whereas Cole was troubled by it.

"Yeah, well, I wish a lot of things, too. I wish that mom was still alive to tell me what to do. I wish that Cara hadn't fallen for Wyatt's spiel hook, line, and sinker. I _also_ wish Cara hadn't severed the link she shared with Sophia. And most recently, I was wishing that you would have told me that you were going out instead of just leaving me in the dark." Melinda shouted in a low voice so as not to disturb Sophia upstairs, where she currently was, with Uncle Cole and Junior keeping watch over her. The poor girl was in enough pain as it was. She didn't need to hear about the latest family drama. "You're lucky that Uncle Cole has been too busy taking care of Sophia to notice that you slipped out because otherwise your ass would be grass."

"Girls got a point," Cole said. He had expressly forbid the kids from leaving the two-story penthouse. In the immediate aftermath of the take over, the city burnt with implacable fear, panic, strife, and desperation. The streets had been strewn with the dead and the dying. It wasn't safe for anybody to be out there, but especially not for a Halliwell. They had giant targets on their backs from all sides.

Chris winced, feeling bad for disobeying his uncle.

"Mellie–" Memory Chris started to say, but was interrupted by Melinda.

"Don't 'Mellie' me." She said in a voice that dared him to call her that one more time.

"Look, I'm sorry that you were worried about me–"

"I never said that," Melinda quickly pointed out. "And for the record, I _wasn't_ worried about you." A chorus of snickers could be heard from Ally and Cole's girls. They knew that Melinda was lying through her teeth. She had been worried sick about Chris.

"Okay. Fine. I'm sorry for not telling you that I was going out, but I'm doing all I can to bring back honor to our family name. To live up to the legacy." Memory Chris said, the sincerity of his words all too clear.

As Cole watched the conversation between his nephew and niece play out, he realized something he should have realized much, much earlier: Chris' way of dealing with the guilt he carried was to immerse himself in his mission.

He was going to have to have a _long_ talk with Chris when they got back to 2004.

"I was scouting abandoned warehouses and factories all over the city," Memory Chris revealed, "if we're going to start a Resistance, then we're going to need to give people a place to go."

Melinda's face softened at his explanation. She hadn't meant to jump down his throat like that, but she had all this pent-up anger inside her petite, five-foot-three frame. These days it seemed like she was angry at everything and with everyone. But Chris had proven to be the one constant, dependable person in her life and that wasn't fair to him. He deserved more than that.

"And I went with him to make sure that he didn't get killed," Jake piped up.

Ally rolled her eyes at her big brother, but smiled and mouthed a "thank you" to him.

"Did you find any diamonds in the rough?" Lauren asked as she sat up in her sleeping bag, joining the conversation.

A frustrated look came onto Memory Chris' face. "No," he admitted.

"That's actually what I was hoping to hear. I've been giving it a lot of thought and while places like a warehouse or factory might seem like a great idea because of their capacity to hold a lot of people, it would stick out like a sore thumb and be a pretty obvious hiding place. We need to find something that's inconspicuous. A place that no one would think to look." Lauren stated.

"That's…true," Memory Chris agreed with his cousin. He hadn't thought of it like that before. "Any more ideas, oh brilliant one?"

Before Lauren could answer, however, a bloodcurdling scream came from upstairs.

The youngest of Cole's three daughters, the one with shoulder-length wavy caramel brown hair, ran over to Memory Chris with her arms outstretched. Despite the fact that Lyla was seven years old, she still liked being picked up and carried around.

Memory Chris picked the girl up, then set her on his hip with an ease that only came from long practice.

"Is Phi-Phi going to die?" The girl asked worriedly as she clung to her cousin, breaking everyone's hearts. She should be concerned with Barbie dolls, not issues of life and death.

"Sophia's going to be fine," Memory Chris said as he gently rocked her back and forth.

Another bloodcurdling scream came from upstairs.

"I hope," Memory Chris murmured, low enough so that Lyla wouldn't hear.

And with that, the onlookers were whisked away to another memory.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I noticed that a lot of Chris revelation stories don't focus on or go into detail about how the Resistance was created, so that's kind of where this chapter came from. Anyways, we got the some Cole/Phoebe interaction _and_ some insight into Cole in this chapter! Also, Leo helped Chris out! Do you guys think there's a glimmer of hope for them? As always, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! **Please review!**


	9. Rumor Has It

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Charmed. No infringement is intended and no profit is made from this story. This is a work of my own imagination, but I was inspired to write this after reading so many amazing Chris revelation stories over the years. So a huge thank you to Emma15 for writing _When Family Calls_ , DisneyRBD for writing _In His Soul_ , and NextGeneration for writing _Dead Promises_!

 **Author's Note:** Before we get started, I just wanted to take a moment to sincerely apologize for the delay. I am so, so, so sorry for making you guys wait this long. Even though I started writing this chapter shortly after I posted the eighth one, things in my life got crazy busy and finishing this chapter up unfortunately got pushed aside. But rest assured, I'm back for good now! So, without further ado, I present to you (my faithful and loyal readers): Chapter Nine!

* * *

 **Chapter Nine:**

 **Rumor Has It**

" _The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final moment; but it is no less a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy. A man does what he must–in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures–and that is the basis of all human morality."_

– _John F. Kennedy, Profiles in Courage_

* * *

The Resistance Headquarters; 2026

Melinda was five years old when she went out on her first mother-daughter excursion to the outlet mall right in the heart of downtown San Francisco. They'd gone looking for the perfect first-day-of-kindergarten outfit. The two of them spent hours going from store to store, trying on clothes. Once they had their hands full of shopping bags, Piper surprised Melinda by taking her to have her ears pierced. Piper treated her to a gigantic ice cream sundae afterward, to celebrate her becoming a "big girl."

That day was one of Melinda's favorite memories of spending time with her mom.

It was also the day that marked the beginning of her love affair with clothes.

Little Melinda was every inch a mini-fashionista, excitedly picking out her own outfits each night before bed.

Now, as Melinda took a seat on the wooden bench closest to the door in the mess hall of the Resistance's headquarters and placed the tray containing her ration for breakfast–a small bowl of trail mix and two hard boiled eggs–onto the table before her, that seemed like another life to her now. Dressed in an assortment of Chris and Lauren's hand-me-down sweats and her long brown hair tied out of the way in a messy bun at the top of her head, she didn't give a rat's ass about what she looked like or what she was wearing. She had other, more pressing priorities, such as survival. Keeping what little was left of her family together. Trying to protect as many innocents as possible. Trying to save _both_ of her big brothers–Wyatt from evil, Chris from his own self-destructive tendencies.

So, yeah, the days of her caring about matters as trivial as clothes really seemed like another life. Another life _and_ another person. The breezy, vivacious Melinda of old was gone before she had the chance to blossom into teenagehood.

"Melinda!" A familiar voice, which was clearly going through the usual changes of puberty, bellowed. "Just the girl I was looking for!"

Melinda looked up and immediately saw a gangly thirteen-year-old boy with copper colored hair and bright green eyes bounding over to her. Asher. Crap.

Melinda winced and instantly felt guilty for it. Asher was perfectly fine and nice, but…a tad on the annoying side. He was basically the Resistance's Colin Creevey. Minus the camera.

"Is it true? The rumors about Emily have been spreading around like wildfire. Are they true? Are they? Are they?" Asher asked as he sat down in the empty seat next to her, all in one breath.

Melinda frowned at the mention of Emily, wondering what Lauren was up to. How would prematurely letting the cat out of the bag help her cause? If anything, doing so would just cause panic and tensions to rise amongst those living in the Resistance Headquarters. Much like Melinda, most of the people here despised Emily. She was public enemy number two.

"Unfortunately they are true," Melinda replied after brief moment of hesitation, deciding that honesty was the best policy. "Don't worry about it, though. I have no idea what that conniving, lying, snake-in-the-grass said or did to get Lauren on her side, but I'm going to make sure that she's not let in here."

"No, no, not that."

Melinda's frown deepened. "Then what?"

"The rumor about the highly confidential information that Emily passed on to Lauren to prove that she really has switched sides." Asher clarified.

Who had started this rumor? What highly confidential information was there? And why was this the first time she was hearing about this?

Asher carefully studied Melinda's face. "You really have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"

Melinda shook her head.

"Wow," he said after a long silence. "I figured you'd be the first to know since it concerns Chris."

Melinda's entire demeanor shifted subtly, but it was enough that Asher felt the need to apologize. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. The rumors could be wrong."

"Talk," Melinda said the one-word command in a tone that left no room for argument. "Now."

"Apparently, Wyatt sent one of his goons to go get Chris. Even after the whole Bianca fiasco he was still determined to get him back. Only this time he planned on locking him up since turning him obviously wasn't going to work. But when the goon arrived in 2004, Chris was nowhere to be found. The Manor was completely empty. He waited a full day before coming back and reporting his findings, or lack of findings, to Wyatt. This, of course, caused Wyatt to launch a quiet investigation. He somehow was able to find out that the Charmed Ones and Leo used a spell to see Chris' memories without his permission. From what he was able to piece together, Chris only just recently told them about Wyatt turning evil. He is to them what Emily is to us. Okay, maybe not to that extreme, but you get my point. They don't trust him and they certainly don't like him. Oh, and they have no clue that Chris is a Halliwell, let alone Piper and Leo's son." Asher explained, not missing a single detail of the rumors that had been going around since late last night.

"That's ridiculous," Melinda replied with a laugh, "Chris would never…"

She caught herself right before saying that Chris would never do something like that. Because that…that was a lie.

Chris, with his self-destructive tendencies and I-can-carry-the-weight-of-the-world-on-my-shoulders complex, _would_ be stupid enough to do something like that.

As Melinda processed what that meant, as the very real possibility that Chris could be going through something worse than hell right now fully sunk in, her heart stopped.

Her body went cold and rigid. Her lungs constricted as if she was drowning and they were being filled with water.

All the while, images of happier times flashed through her mind.

 _So this is what it's like to die_ , Melinda thought to herself.

Just as her vision was going black, Asher grabbed hold of her shoulders and shook her back into consciousness.

"I think that you need to lie down for a bit." Asher suggested, clearly concerned.

"I don't understand why he would do that. It makes no sense. He was happy that he was going to get the chance to see mom again. He couldn't wait to hear her call him peanut again. He was going to hug her and tell her how sorry he was, even though I told him time after time that he had absolutely nothing to be sorry about…mom's death wasn't his fault and neither was Wyatt's turning evil." Melinda said, completely ignoring Asher's suggestion.

"Maybe he changed his mind at the last minute."

"This wasn't a last minute decision," Melinda said, quickly shooting that idea down. "Chris went over every single detail of this mission with us. He was neurotic about it. There's no way he would have risked it all on a whim. Too much was at stake for him to even consider doing that."

"Definitely not a last minute decision then. Got it." Asher replied, wisely going along with whatever she said. He didn't want to do or say anything that would further upset her.

"What was it that got to him, though? And when? If I had known that he was planning to pull this…hell, if _anybody_ had known that he was planning to pull this…I mean it's practically masochistic. We would have all done everything within our power to talk him out of it. Well, all of us except for…" She trailed off, eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Except for who?" Asher asked, genuinely curious.

"Leo." Melinda growled, so mad that her bowl of trail mix exploded. Asher jumped at the sudden explosion, clearly not having expected it. All eyes turned to her as the trail mix went falling in every direction–onto the tray, onto the table, and onto the floor.

"Mel…" Asher started to say in an attempt to calm her down.

Unfortunately, however, it was too late for that.

" _LEO!_ "

* * *

"I feel like I'm going to be sick," Paige announced once they appeared in another memory. She doubled over, clutching her midsection. Her eyes squeezed shut and her lips pressed white as she concentrated everything she had on fighting the violent sickness that threatened to rise up.

"Do you need to sit down for a moment?"

Paige opened her eyes to find Piper and Phoebe hovering over her, concern etched on their faces.

"No, I–" She took a deep, steadying breath and put on a brave face. "I'm fine." As if to prove it, she straightened herself up.

"Really?" Piper asked incredulously.

"Really."

"Your body's really not handling all of this jumping around well, huh?" Phoebe commented observationally, assuming that it was jumping from memory to memory that had made her baby sister sick. "Make sure to take some Advil or Tylenol when we get back."

The assumption wasn't completely off base. All of the jumping around _had_ given Paige a headache. But it hadn't been what made her sick. Not this time, at least.

It was the bloodcurdling screams from the last memory that had made Paige sick–sick to her stomach with anguish, worry, and overwhelming sadness. For the life of her, she couldn't explain why she'd been so affected by those screams. She briefly remembered the girl, Sophia, being in one of the previous memories. Sophia had been the one who had healed Memory Chris after his Underworld excursions. She was young, but sassy and whip-smart.

Paige liked the girl. Hell, she liked nearly all of the people from Chris' memories. Something told her, however, that she wouldn't have had this strong of a reaction if it had been any of the other people from the memories screaming.

There was something about it being _Sophia_ screaming…

Maybe she was reading too much into this. Maybe the reason why she reacted so strongly was simply because the girl was young, _too_ young to be in that _much_ pain. That had to be it. That was the only explanation that came close to making any sense.

"I think I'm going to need something stronger than Advil or Tylenol," Paige muttered to herself. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the echoes of those bloodcurdling screams that were still bouncing within the recesses of her mind.

Cole, who was standing next to Paige, watched his ex-sister-in-law hide the tide of emotions to the best of her ability. He didn't hate her as much as he once had. In the years following his reappearance, they had gotten to a place where they were okay with each other. She had stopped sneering at him, albeit reluctantly, and his barbs had lost their sting. Their constant bickering had eventually become a comfortable habit: something reliable, easy, familiar, and friendly. Then the takeover happened and their dynamic changed once again. He had lost Phoebe, she had lost Henry, and suddenly they found themselves having to co-parent eight children together, though that quickly dropped to seven when Cara joined Wyatt's regime and then to six when Lacey was killed. Working with her to make sure the kids were as okay as they could be, all things considered, had helped him gain a respect for her that he hadn't had before. Yes, she could be hardheaded and stubborn at times, and her penchant for sticking her nose where it didn't belong could be annoying, but she always meant well.

Feeling the need to say something to the woman who would become his sister-in-law again, he leaned in and whispered so that only she could hear, "I wish I could tell you that it gets better," he said, "but it doesn't. Things go from very bad to much worse."

Paige was floored that Cole, of all people, was trying to comfort her. Her initial reaction was to not believe him. As she looked around their new surroundings for the first time, however, she knew that he was telling the truth.

"Chris, please tell me that this is a war zone in some distant country," Piper pleaded even though she already knew that wasn't the case. They were clearly still in San Francisco.

The pained, regretful look on the half-whitelighter's face confirmed her fears.

Piper had tears in her eyes all over again. The city she had grown up in, the city she had loved her whole life, was in a state of complete and utter destruction. A dense cloud of smoke shrouded the entire sky. Rubble, shards of broken glass, and spot fires littered the streets. Piles upon piles of wrecked cars were strewn everywhere. The storefronts were either boarded up or completely trashed. Several of the buildings looked like they were on the verge of collapsing.

"How could the Elders have allowed things to get _this_ bad?" Leo asked, the disbelief evident both in his eyes and in his voice.

"Well, your _lot_ ," Cole began answering, "conveniently decided that saving themselves was for the greater good. They sealed themselves off from the world below. The only link they left behind was you. That's why Chris, Lauren, Jake, Ally, and Junior set up the Resistance. No one else was stepping up to the plate."

"I don't understand," Leo said, his lips turning down in a frown. What Cole was implying was not only offensive, it was preposterous. The Elders would never show such blatant disregard for the wellbeing of the magical community. Contrary to what seemed to be popular belief, Leo didn't blindly follow the Elders. He had moments, too, where he disagreed with some of the things they did or didn't do. But they were on the side of good. Leo's belief in that was the crux of what kept him going as an Elder and being away from his family for extended periods of time.

"Newsflash, Leo, the Elders are just a bunch of assholes on a power trip." Cole said bluntly, causing Leo's face to redden with anger.

"Enough, both of you!" Phoebe exclaimed, once again taking it upon herself to break up the bickering ex-brother-in-laws. "Fighting and name calling isn't going to solve anything. Now that we know that Chris was telling the truth all along, we need to pay close attention to these memories, no matter how painful they may be because this is the future that awaits us if we fail Wyatt a second time around. I don't think either of you wants that, do you?"

Cole and Leo had the decency to look ashamed of themselves.

"Of course not," Cole answered quickly.

"Good," Phoebe said, relieved by the answer.

She and the rest of the onlookers turned their attention to the memory, forcing themselves to take in the sight of their beloved city in ruins.

Their timing couldn't be any more perfect. In a matter of seconds, Memory Chris orbed out of one of the abandoned buildings and into the middle of the gloomy street. The sisters and Leo had no real point of reference for how much time had passed from the last memory to this one, but they had gotten pretty good at guesstimating. Based on looks alone, at least a year had to have passed. Memory Chris was slowly but surely starting to morph into the man that they knew.

"Uhm, Chris, who does that baby belong to?" Paige asked awkwardly upon noticing that Memory Chris was holding a bundle close to his chest: a tiny baby, swathed in a baby blue blanket.

"That would be Lorenzo," Chris answered, unable to stop the smile that lit up his face as soon as he watched himself cradle the baby. "He's sort of like my godson. Once the Resistance was up and running, we made it a point to go out and check the city for survivors to take in. During one of those outings I came across Lorenzo's mom. She had been dumped in an alleyway and was bleeding profusely, going in and out of coconsciousness. By some miracle, she was able to get enough words out to tell me where to find her son. 'Protect him.' Those were her last words, her last wish. From what I was able to piece together later on, she had gone out in search of food and was attacked by a group of rogue demons. She was a mortal, an innocent."

Hearing the story of how Chris had come into possession of the baby boy, Piper felt herself pale. She couldn't imagine the terror Lorenzo's mom must have gone through in those last few seconds, knowing she was about to die and knowing that she was leaving her son behind in a world bloody with war… _by Wyatt's doing_.

Piper was going to ask about the boy's father, but before she could open her mouth to get the words out, the booming blast of an explosion sounded. The building Memory Chris had just orbed out of had collapsed to the ground.

"And suddenly I see why your sister was so worried about you," Paige said, easily slipping back into her sarcastic nature.

Chris shrugged, as if to say, _What can you do?_ It wasn't like he went looking for trouble. Trouble just usually found him.

It was only a matter of seconds before another loud sound filled the memory. This time, however, it was not an explosion. Little Lorenzo was crying in a way that only a baby could.

"It's okay, Lorenzo. I've got you." Memory Chris said in a cooing voice, not wanting to attract unwanted attention. He adjusted the baby in his arms and rocked him gently.

"I'm hurt, Chris, truly," a deep male voice said from the shadows. A tall, broad-shouldered man moved away from a side street wall and into view. He had slightly long, wavy blonde hair and cold hazel eyes. He was dressed head to toe in black clothing.

"Wyatt," Piper and Leo gasped at the exact same moment.

This time, at least, Chris was prepared for it. Piper and Leo only seemed to be blind where _he_ was concerned.

Phoebe and Paige's jaws dropped down in shock at the sight of their nephew all grown up. It was one thing to hear about Wyatt turning evil, but actually seeing him like this was something else entirely.

"You procreated with your precious Cat and didn't have the decency to inform me? Of all people?"

The Charmed Ones and Leo were slightly confused by what Wyatt meant by the "of all people," bit. Rather than look into it, however, they simply brushed it off as it just being because the two were once close friends.

Cole and Chris understood _exactly_ what Wyatt had meant by that.

Ally and Chris having a child together would have had a direct impact on Wyatt. The child would be Wyatt's nephew. Wyatt would be an uncle.

"Nice to see your deduction skills haven't improved a bit. Bringing an innocent child into this world is the last thing we would do considering all hell has broken loose. Thanks for that, by the way," Memory Chris said. He was probably the only one who could get away with speaking to Wyatt like that. "And it's _Ally_ to you."

"Nice to see your sarcastic nature hasn't changed a bit," Wyatt quipped back. "And it doesn't have to be this way. I don't know what Ally has been whispering into your ear, but the only reason it seems like all hell has broken loose is because you're on the wrong side."

"Evil is never the right side. I don't need Ally, or anybody for that matter, to tell me that." Memory Chris replied, his hold on Lorenzo tightening. Even though he didn't think that Wyatt would do anything to a baby, he had no way of knowing for sure. This was a Wyatt he didn't know. This was a Wyatt he wasn't familiar with.

"Evil? Who said anything about evil? That's the problem, Chris, you're so stuck on the old good versus evil morass. It's not about good. It's not about evil. It's all about power and those too weak to seek it." Wyatt said, unknowingly revealing to the onlookers just how far gone he actually was.

"What happened to you, Wy?" Memory Chris asked, his voice cracking with the use of the old nickname for his big brother. He was struggling to keep a lid on his warring emotions. There was a part of him that hated Wyatt. For ruining everything their mom had worked so hard for. For fracturing what was left of their family. For all the atrocities that had occurred either directly or indirectly because of him. At the same time, however, there was still a large part of him that loved Wyatt. A part of him that would _always_ love Wyatt.

"I've simply evolved." Wyatt replied in an evasive manner. "Unfortunately I can't stick around–"

"Your legion of minions can't be trusted alone for too long, huh?" Memory Chris asked, once more his sarcastic self.

Wyatt rolled his eyes. Chris always did have a way of getting under his skin. "Just remember that you were meant to rule by my side. We would be unstoppable. The two of us together would be the strongest force the world has ever seen."

And with that, Wyatt disappeared in a swirl of black orbs.

Lorenzo suddenly burst into tears again, causing Memory Chris to gently rock him back and forth again. "It's okay. The big, scary man is gone now." Memory Chris said in what he hoped was a soothing voice. It seemed to have worked because the baby started to quiet down . "Come on, let's get you back to the Resistance. I have a feeling you're going to be quite the popular one over there."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** As I'm sure you noticed, Melinda played a bigger role in this chapter. That's something that you guys can continue to look forward to in the chapters to come. Also, in the next chapter you'll get to see the Resistance that Chris, Lauren, Jake, Ally, and Junior set up. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! **Please review!**


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